Always Going To Be Us (Sequel to And There Was Us)
by alixxblack
Summary: Maya & Lucas have been together for five years now. Living together was supposed to make their hectic lives easier but it seems to be making things worse. New trials begin testing their relationship and force the two to seriously consider whether or not their relationship is built to last. Will they make it? (TWs Details inside disclaimer).
1. Girl & Boy Meet Trouble in Paradise

Disclaimer 1: I am not Michael Jacobs, or any other producer/writer involved in the making of GMW, and there claim no right to these characters (except Conner, Les, and Derek). This fanfiction is a zero profit generating piece.

Disclaimer 2: This is a sequel to my other piece "And Then There Was Us." You should probably read that story first even though this is also being written to be read on by itself. Either way, enjoy your Lucaya however you please.

Disclaimer 3: This is a trigger warning list. Not all of these warnings are assured to be included but are certainly possible topics to be discussed… sexual content, course language, death of a minor character, unfaithful relationships, pregnancy outside of marriage, and abortion/miscarriage. Other topics may come up but these are the ones that I feel would cause the biggest anxiety stresses.

A/N: I don't generally write sequels for my own fanfiction because I've never considered my work suitable enough to deserve one. Even now, I don't believe that story is the one I should have written a sequel for, but it's the only one I'm compelled to follow-up on. **If you're reading this – this is story has been re-written. I published 3 chapters and decided I didn't like it so I an updating the chapters to reflect a more fitting story plot and progression. Updates are effective June 30, 2016. If you have read the story previously, I advice re-reading it – thank you and enjoy.**

* * *

Dirty blonde hair flew around her face and her bun fell out of it's tight ponytail. Baby blue scrubs wafted the bitter scent of peroxide and cotton balls, some of which were still popping out of her pocket. Maya had lost track of time and was sure she'd be late to her dinner date. These weekly dinners with her boyfriend were all the time she had left to share with him anymore, so she ought not be late! Even though the satchel she carried to work was banging against the backs of her knees, Maya didn't let it slow her down. Nothing could prevent her from racing to the truck with full vigor.

Maya slams herself inside of the pick-up Les gave to her years ago when she moved off of the Friar Farm was still running. She couldn't begin explaining how or why but it was still kicking as if it had just come off the car lot. Les shared with her how proud he was that she was taking such great care of it. Even Lucas praised her for being able to keep the car together, considering she'd never driven on her own before she moved to Texas with him.

Things had changed so much since graduating high school. Lucas and Maya lived on the farm for the summer, but when the new school year started for everyone going back, well, Maya felt that she needed a purpose in her life. That's when she tried to work at a couple of the gyms teaching yoga and zumba. Unfortunately, there was a lot of competition and Maya couldn't make enough revenue to justify driving into town most of the time. That's when she decided to pick something else… Something that she knew would be able to sustain her and pay the bills…

That's when Maya got herself involved in the medical world. Maya started by getting a part-time receptionist position at a nursing home. It was the only opening that would pay her enough to move out before Christmas, which was ultimately what Maya was aiming to do so that she didn't have to rely on the Friar's to take care of her. While she was working there a position opened for a home health aide. Maya applied knowing that it would be a pay increase _and_ more hours. They offered to give her the training that she needed for certifications, and then put her to work as soon as her classes were finished. In the meantime, she shadowed other HHAs until she was able to work on her own.

Almost immediately after that, someone told her that the hospital was going to be looking for CNAs in the summer – when many of their CNAs would be transferring to other hospitals to do their clinical training with their desired hospitals. Maya saw this as another financial opportunity and started immediately working on a Certified Nursing Assistant program. Maya felt as though she's never once stopped working and growing since she came to Texas, but the satisfaction of being self-sufficient once more was too great.

Maya's been working at the hospital for just over two years now. She's been living in the same apartment for four years, and Lucas moved in about eighteen months ago when he decided to go back to school. Maybe he wasn't planning to be a veterinarian, but there were several veterinary technician positions to be filled – and Lucas had every intention of getting a job outside of the ranch.

Things were always changing in life because 'people change people,' Riley's dad had taught her in junior high. All of the new people that Maya got to know through work and school, all of the friends that Lucas reconnected with over the years, and even Lucas' family – all of whom had come to adore Maya wholly. Every single person changed Maya's life in ways that she'd never would have thought to expect five years ago. In that same vein, Lucas had changed too.

Since returning to school he'd become forgetful and needed to live out of his planner. In fact, he'd gotten a second cellphone only to keep his schedule in order. Three days a week he volunteered at animal shelters hoping to get more practical experience with domestic animals like house pets. He also dedicated three days a week to the ranch with Conner because Les was becoming too weak to maintain the ranch on his own during the slow months. Even Maya would swing by to help out on her days off, but she didn't have many of those. Supporting Lucas through school was ever demanding which usually left her working as many as fourteen days straight without a break.

She loved Lucas and never blamed him for wanting to get this education. It was a two-year program through a trade school so she assumed that it would be a fast two years. After all, sometimes she feels as though she's just blinked and the last four have sunk into the Earth as if pulled away from her by quicksand. The only problem proved to be that the last eighteen months have shown Maya one thing: _living together doesn't mean you see each other all the time._

This last month has easily been the worst since Lucas joined her in town. The move was supposed to help them spend more time together and adjust to living on their own. His school and work demanded so much of his life, as did Maya's, that these date nights were the only uninterrupted time that she shared with him. Even those nights were a thing of the past, though, since Lucas has missed the last four dates.

Maya had never missed one. Each and every Tuesday she was always there, and she was always there _on time._

As soon as Maya barges in, pulling her shirt off to reveal a plain white tee beneath, the hostess does everything she can to act pleasant and positive. Everyone at this restaurant knows who she is and what she's there for the second she walks through the door. Lately she could start to see the pity in their faces so clearly that even she considered whether or not she should bother showing up anymore. Still, Maya hoped week after week that Lucas would come in through the doors late with apologies and a rose in hand. She didn't even like roses but Maya needed him to be apologetic for turning their date night into a checkbox in his planner. A checkbox he must have decided was not important enough to be ticked off the list.

The usual server, Charlie, strides up with his straight white teeth and wavy surfer hair. Confidence grows inside of him exponentially each time that Lucas fails to show up. When it is slow he even dares to sit in the booth with Maya and try to make conversation. Last week she agreed to play tic-tac-toe with the different sauce packs on the table.

"Please don't hit on me tonight, Charlie. I will tell your uncle to fire you for sexual harassment of a patron." Tonight she just simply wasn't in the mood for his shenanigans. A wave of understanding seems to overtake the server. For Maya it couldn't be clearer that the staff aches for her as though she were their family. Of course, she's been coming her for years because the diner remaindered her of her mom in a way. The diner was the breakfast-all-day sort of place; very different from her mother's diner, but her mother was always a breakfast person. On her mother's sober days, she would make some of the most amazing pigs-in-a-blanket. It was the closest Maya got to Southern culture before Lucas rolled around in New York.

Charlie put a hand on the table, "Meal is on the house tonight. You want the usual?" Maya stared back at him with tears forming in her eyes. It wasn't that they were offering to pay that broke her heart so much as the signs around her. Lucas had become consumed by a life separate from hers and it was tearing her apart.

Accepting that she would be eating her 'usual' dinner alone – again, no less – made her worry if this wasn't the beginning of the end of _them._ Were these just the early days of a bad break-up? Maya couldn't really hide her sorrow, and so a tear rolled down her cheek as she accepted Charlie's words with a sour nod.

* * *

Lucas dropped all of his work clothes into the duffel bag with relief. Starting Sunday he was taking a three-week break from everything. School would be out for winter vacation, the shelter's would have plenty of other volunteers to make up for his absence, and the ranch would be just fine with Conner visiting a few times a week. Besides that, he could always talk Maya into going out the ranch with him to visit the animals.

As he walked out of the locker room he reflect on a time when Maya and Riley would wait for him to finish football and basketball practice. Those days were exhausting but in a totally different way. Since becoming a "proper" adult, as his father joked, Lucas lost all free time for playing sports. In fact, the only "sport" he played was Maya.

Even though all of these thoughts are in his head, he has to remind himself the at the "sport" is having sex with her. They'd waited quite a long time before they ever took that leap in their relationship. It was Maya that insisted on them waiting until they at least lived with one another for an extended period of time. Well, they hadn't made it quite that long, but they waited longer than most people their age. Loving her emotionally and physically demanded quite a lot of Lucas, and some days he wasn't sure how much more he could give to her.

It wasn't for a lack of loving her so much as a lack of time. The life he juggled right now consisted of full-time education, two part-time jobs, and a girlfriend who worked something like seventy hours a week. When their free-time overlapped they generally tried to make up for everything they'd been missing with all the extras. Generally that meant having vibrant and energetic sex, and then promptly falling asleep naked wherever it was that they'd been at the time.

As he swings the door open from the locker room he smashes into someone. In flurry he doesn't even see whom it is he's unintentionally attacked. Arms fly everywhere from each other to gather the things that the person had dropped. It isn't until they're both standing that Lucas sees who was on the other side of the door; "Bridgette?"

It would be a lie to say that he didn't notice how captivating her green eyes were in the florescent lights of the hallway. Something about them reminded him of seaweed, but in a good way. Like wild and untamed underwater plant life. For a second he forgets to listen to her but is able to catch the majority of what she says.

"No worries, Mr. Firar, I should have been paying attention." The way she flashes a smile at him nearly makes him forget what it was he supposed to be doing, causing him to lean against the wall. They stand there for a moment awkwardly for only a moment before he figures out how to make the conversation casual once more.

"Mr. Friar is my dad – and only then to strangers. Feel free to call me Lucas. In fact, I ask that you do." He pokes his hand out for a formal introduction. Bridgette was in the nursing program but they shared a couple of core classes together periodically. Mostly he recognized her because her boyfriend proposed in the middle of a mid-term study session. It was the "talk of the campus" for weeks afterwards, and some people were even discussing making it a short animate film for Disney. Lucas didn't know the details but couldn't forget the event nonetheless.

Bridgette tosses her golden hair over her shoulder. In a way it reminds him of Maya and makes him homesick. Lovely as she was, Lucas was ready to get going to see his girlfriend. He'd been missing her and it was time for them to lay down and watch some movies on the couch. As soon as Bridgette agrees, "Sure thing, Lucas," he starts off towards his car without any further thought to the incident.

The ride home is normal enough, traffic that irritates him, but otherwise boring and quiet. He doesn't question anything except that he's forgotten something. If he had, he's sure Maya would have said something to him. Just last week he forgot to take the trash out from the bathroom and she'd nagged him about in the subtlest ways, _"Does the bathroom feel crowded to you?"_ She was adorable and menacing all at once when she did those things. It was part of why he loved Maya Hart so very much.

Once he gets home and reached for his keys he realizes that his pocket is a bit empty. Slowly he processes what was in there when he left and pieces together that his wallet is missing. He wonders if he left it in the car, and doubles back immediately to check. Fifteen minutes go by before he accepts that his wallet may be at the school. As he goes upstairs he calls and sets a janitor on the hunt for in the hallway and locker room.

Just as he steps out off the last step to their fourth floor apartment, Lucas is in hold and hears a voice calling out to him; "Mr. Friar?"

Stunned, he sees Bridgette sitting right by his door. Lucas walks very slowly up to her before seeing that she's holding his wallet in her hands. Within a few minutes the janitor picks up his phone again and assures that he cannot find the wallet anywhere, but he kindly informs him that someone has brought it back to him at his apartment. The call ends promptly and Lucas takes his wallet back.

"That was might kind of you to bring that here. I appreciate it, Bridgette. Also, stop calling me 'Mr. Friar.' It makes me uncomfortable." Lucas figures the conversation is done and starts unlocking his door. Bridgette doesn't qualify as a full-blown stranger so he sees no need to protect himself from her presence. As he swings the door open to his home he barely realizes that Bridgette sneaks in quietly behind him.

"Well, it's just your kind of well-known around here. Your dad runs the beloved Friar Ranch, you have a few titles for bull-riding, and you beat up a few of the most popular kids in junior high…" Her eyes sparkle in a menacing way that makes Lucas want to push her down the stairs. Okay, he doesn't really want to push her down the stairs but he doesn't trust the way she's looking at him. Everything in the air tells him not to trust her.

Besides, she is bringing up something from his past that irritates him. What Lucas did back then – it was the right thing to do for his friend. In fact, it was the right thing to do _period._ Those kids thought the could pick on Zay because he was black. They'd bullied so many kids into transferring that Lucas was just fed up with the nastiness of it all. Zay had become his best friend since arriving at the junior high and he wasn't about to lose him. So Lucas beat the kid up until he couldn't stand up anymore. Unfortunately, it got him expelled and drove him mother to believe that a city life was better for Lucas. The cultural acceptance in New York was better fit for Lucas' attitude and a better place to raise an enlightened child. The decision felt wrong at the time but Lucas had come to accept his mother's choice. It was the right one to make at the time.

"I think you need to leave. My girlfriend will be home any minute now and I want to have a fresh coffee made for her when she gets home." Lucas puts his hand out to start pulled the door open. Things happen so fast after that, though. Everything moved in a blur and he hadn't the foggiest idea how he would recall those events in the coming days.


	2. Boy & Girl Meet Realization

Disclaimer: This chapter has a brief encounter containing physical violence. Please be aware that I do not condone this behavior and felt that it best reflected the stress of the characters in this scenario. I would urge any readers to avoid physical violence in any real-life scenarios unless your life is in danger. Thank you.

* * *

Maya climbs out to the top of the stairs, cursing that this building still hasn't added an elevator. It doesn't help that Lucas never showed up and she spent most of her evening wiping her eyes so she could enjoy her favorite pancakes. Charlie even offered to drive her home in a totally-supportive-no-creepy way. She'd nearly taken it but a gut feeling urged to turn down the kind offer. Maya was strong and could back it home on her own.

As she lifts her head from her hands where her keys dangle from her forefinger she sees that her apartment door is cracking open. Already upset with Lucas for his inability to remember their date night plans, she barges right through the door in a whirlwind of rage that is more than justified when she sees him draped beneath a slender blonde at the counter.

"What the fuck?" Maya shouts as loud as she can manage. The woman turns around and points at her with little enthusiasm. Shock, fear, and disappointment seem to flash on her face like a broken stoplight running through the signals. She gets up off of Lucas and turns apologetic towards Maya. Fury burns in her gut, though, and all sense is thrown into the wind. Nothing could have been more upsetting to Maya in those moments when she arrived home than seeing her boyfriend getting smooched by a prettier version of herself.

So Maya does the only thing that she feels properly expresses how she feels. She throws a punch with her keys still in hand. The new beautiful blonde is stunned by the hit but only drops her head low as she leaves the apartment silently. Maya feels terrible but not enough to show any sympathy towards this lady. Even as she sees blood on her fingertips before she slumps down the stairwell, Maya can only slam the door with anger.

Even though she's emotionally, mentally, and physically exhausted, she cannot let this moment slide by without her telling Lucas off. She's let the date nights go without complaint because her boyfriend was busy. She's not pointed out that he no longer contributes to their "romance" jar – which they used to raise funds for a vacation that they'd one day take out of the country. Each romantic or flirty or loving thing yielded a dollar in the jar – but only Maya had contributed for what seemed to be endless weeks. Maya was so thoroughly fed up that all she could do now was lay into him for all his carelessness towards their romance.

"You have missed our date nights for weeks. You've been penciling me into your schedule for so long now that our life together has become a low-level priority. You have all but forgotten about me! Most of the time I can't even get a reply text from you about what you want for dinner. Now I have to come to see another person kissing you in _my_ apartment that _I_ got _by myself_ and continue to pay for _on my own!_ I have to wonder know whether or not you would have cheated on me if I'd not come home. I used to know the answer but now I'm unsure. I don't even know who you are anymore, but it certainly isn't Lucas Friar."

Maya doesn't stay long enough to find out how Lucas responds to her complaints. She marches into the bathroom with all of her belongings in hand. Eyes burn from tears and disappointment. Sure that he would try to follow her and talk to her she decides to lock the bathroom door. These are moments she needs to spend alone, crying and working through the stress it brings her.

Before she left the diner, after she turned down Charlie's offer to drive her home, he had said something to her. She pretended she didn't hear it but she had most definitely heard each and every syllable. All he did was voice something that she already knew…

" _You should never feel forgotten. Only – well – I think you've forgotten that…"_

Charlie rarely said anything worthwhile to Maya but today was the exception. Some five, six, even seven years ago her own boyfriend may have said those very words to her in a similar situation. Lucas always supported her and made sure that she didn't feel left out of the friend group. Very quietly they were more alike that people would initially assume. Even Riley would admit now that she should have seen the compatibility between her two closest friends.

Thinking about Riley made Maya miss the closeness they'd once cherished. It wasn't that they were no longer friends but the physical distance made it difficult to maintain a sturdy relationship between them. Riley was in her final year of school, working part-time as some big CEO's personal assistant. Normally she'd fly in for Christmas celebrations but she would be working straight up to Christmas Eve. If she could visit it would only be for a day or two at most. Maya insisted that Riley take advantage of that time with her parents.

Secretly, though, Maya knew that it had this voice of finality to it. She wouldn't be able to count on Riley the way that she used to in school. Maya was happy for her friend but sad for herself, since now the closest friend she had was Conner. Truth be told, he was perfectly suitable as a best friend. Maya and Lucas relied on him heavily when they visited four years ago and they still needed him to navigate touchy subjects from time-to-time. He was as good as having a counselor on retainer.

Conner had become a bit of a Riley-replacement, Maya thought. She confided in him on most any subject, even Lucas, and he was also neutral on the subject. Lucas did much of the same, too, and it sometimes worried her. Conner should have felt torn in two the way she had when Riley and Lucas initially broke up. The man never waivered, though, and the three were the best of friends.

If it weren't for the fact that Maya knew Tuesday nights Conner hosted a group counseling session for teenagers struggling with depression, she may have called on him to swing by and coach them through this whole mess. Maya would never bother him at work, though. When he graduated he came back to town and lived on the ranch with Les for a few months. He wasn't sure what to do and whether or not he wanted to stay in Texas, but in the end he was swayed to stay. A part-time counseling position opened up at a mental health-care facility. They just needed someone to lead the group sessions, and handle to determine if referred patients would be taken on by the existing team of psychologists and psychiatrists.

Conner loved his job because he would work twelve-hour days Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and then he could spend the rest of the week helping around the ranch and relaxing. The income was sufficient enough to maintain a small apartment near his parents' place. Maya often wondered if she had chosen the wrong line of work since Conner made much better money than she did doing far less work than she did too.

"Maya?" Lucas' voice reverberates throughout the bathroom as though he were inside with her. Still, she refuses to acknowledge him. Let him speak if he feels compelled but she would rather sit in the empty bathtub underneath her favorite towel. Hell, she might even sleep in there tonight. Lucas can pee his pants for all she cares.

"Maya, please listen to me, okay?" Lucas murmurs this time. A softness in his voice weakens her defenses but not enough to maturely walk across the room and let him inside. There's no tone of voice he could use that would convince her to let him in to speak with her face-to-face. Maya already conceded on that front; "That girl, Bridgette, stole my wallet. I hit her with a door at the school and she must have taken it while we picked her things up. I had no idea what her plan was when I saw her waiting at the door."

Nothing about his language indicates that she should be concerned about him lying. In fact, he doesn't beg her to forgive him or blame anyone for what happened. He states simple the events that took place. There couldn't be anything more straightforward and honest than that, right? Maya quickly decides that she believes he had no premeditation on the matter. However, she can't shake that feeling that Lucas might now have stopped things from progressing either. She wants to think it's because her faith has been tested and questioned but in her heart she cannot accept that this is the reason.

"I am going to make you a glass of coffee. I'll be waiting on the couch, okay? If you would like I'll take you to work in the morning and pick you up after school so that I can prove to you that I haven't forgotten about us – _about you._ " The emphasis on his last words echo what Charlie said earlier that night; it reflects what he'd heard her proclaim just now. Lucas is listening and he is going to try to mend the crack that's been created – but Maya cannot decide what's created it in the first place.

Was it the kiss? Or was it everything that led up to it?

* * *

Lucas was as loyal as people could come anymore. Cheating on Maya was never a thought that crossed his mind – not even last night. Bridgette was certainly a good-looking woman but he hadn't considered her anything other than a classmate. Maybe she threw him off of his game the way she stared at him but it wasn't because he was interested in her romantically.

It sure wouldn't seem that way from the outside, though. In hindsight, he could see that Bridgette was flirting with him at the school. Lucas recognized that when she showed up he should have been alerted that she was misguided in some way. It was inappropriate for her to have brought his wallet directly to him instead of to the main office. At the time he had considered himself lucky not have had his stuff stolen but that was the wrong frame of mind. He wasn't cautious enough.

So he understands why Maya questions him. He hadn't been mindful enough to prevent the kiss from happening so who is to say he wasn't disconnected enough to let it go further. Lucas can say now that he wouldn't have done anything more with Bridgette – that he would have forced her out of the apartment. Nobody knows for sure what they would do until they're forced to take action – and not everyone does what they would expect.

He woke up when Maya left for work. He was surprised she hadn't called for the day off until he heard her grumble about there being a department meeting after work. She said she'd be home as soon as it was done and that hopefully he'd be alone when she got back. It was a quick, one-sided chat but Lucas kept playing it through his head. Everything in her voice and language had been seething with insecurity and hurt. Lucas wanted so desperately to comfort her and assure her that they belonged together. He loved her deeply.

And yet he already knew it would never be enough.

A couple of hours go by and the sun rises higher and higher with each one that passes. Before long he decides that he has to do something. Maya's favorite dinner is enchiladas so he decides he'll start prepping for the perfect dinner and dessert. Even though it's not the same cuisine, Maya would love a tiramisu. Lucas races around the kitchen to get a grocery list together.

Shopping takes much longer than he anticipated, but he presumes it is perhaps because he hasn't gone grocery shopping in months. Really, Maya manages the apartment on her own. She pays the majority of the bills, cleans the house, and cooks all the meals. This means that she also buys all of the groceries. Lucas about fainted when he had paid because it was much more than he anticipated paying.

Once home, though, he checks his phone for a message from Maya. It is a short message simply stating that she was in her meeting now and that she'd let him know when she was on her way home so long as he confirmed he was there. He figures it wouldn't take long for him to make tiramisu so he could just whip it together and take a selfie with it. Lucas is convinced there's no way she could _not_ smile at that picture.

Once he starts cooking he loses himself in all of the tasks he must accomplish. Everything feels back to normal until finishes dinner and he's sitting on a stool by himself in the quiet apartment. Everything from the day before floods back into his head forcing him to accept that this will permanently change things with Maya. It dawns on him that this will be the first true test of their strength as a couple. Lucas hopes that he is able to make it up to her and prove he loves her more than anything else in the world.

He'd give up anything she asked if it meant the difference between her staying and leaving. The only reason he wanted to have a job away from the ranch in the first place was so that he could make enough money to survive the off-season. Lucas would give it away, the ranch and the legacy, so that he could have a future with her. Maya Hart was the only future he cared about…

"I'd marry her tomorrow if she'd have me." Lucas groaned to himself, hands slamming to his face in shame. They've been together for years and he never proposed to her. He never even asked when she'd be ready to get married. At best they confirmed that someday they would marry but never when, how, and where they would go from there. All they knew is that someday, when the time presented itself, they would get married and tie that final knot that secured their place at one another's side forever.

Lucas decides right there and then that he's going to propose to Maya on Christmas Eve during the gift exchange. It's a bit last minute, he has less than a week to put it together, but in his heart he knows that this is what he wants to do to fix this. Maybe it's not the best time to propose. Maybe she'll turn him down. Maybe it'll be the best decision of his life.

Or at least the second best decision in his life. And that's exactly what he's banking on when he puts everything away in the refrigerator and swiftly leaves the apartment again, making sure that he tells Maya that he's running an errand but he will definitely be coming back home.

"Because you're home, Maya Hart. You're the only home I need." Lucas announces as he slams the door behind him in a flurry.

* * *

A/N: I know that you are probably upset that you have to reread a story that I started. I was very displeased with the pace and my characters didn't feel like the characters I'd written in the "And Then There Was Us." I sat on it and thought it through and decided to redo it. I hope those of you that read the original posts like these new ones - I personally feel that these chapters are better. Review & Comment to let me know what you think [: I live for those R&Rs - donchaknoooow! [:


	3. Girl Has Too Many Things Happening

Maya loves being on loan to a different department. It gave her a feel for different areas of specialization. She wasn't interested in returning to school after getting her CNA license. If she did anything else she would take additional certifications, but she had no interest in getting any more education under her belt. Only what she needs to stay in this comfortable place. Her insurance was good, her hours were crazy, but once Lucas was working she wouldn't need to pick up as many extra hours. Her vacation time was pretty good, a little more than two weeks after sick time is accounted for in the time off.

All in all, Maya had decided during the drive to work this morning that whatever is going on with Lucas needed a day or two to simmer down. Talking to him right away might make it worse. He wouldn't know any better than herself whether or not something terrible would come out of this event, and so she would discuss this with him on Saturday when he gets home from school. They would have time to calm down and reflect. Lucas would be able to give her more truthful, and thoughtful, answers by the weekend.

Once she returns to the oncology department she points at the receptionist, "Can I get you to pull up the time clock on your desktop there, sweet cheeks?" The oncology department has the peppiest staff. The ones in the office are significantly happier with their positions than the CNAs and nurses upstairs in the overnight ward, but that's partly because they just schedule initial appointments and deal with insurance. Collections handles the bills, so really Maya thought working in the office here was probably the best middle-of-the-pack position to have in the whole building.

"For the local workaholic? I guess I can do that for you – since you did two days of work in one – and you're still going to be on time to your department meeting!" Maya nearly forgot about the meeting on the bulletin board. The second she walked in and clocked her arrival, a perfect two minutes early no less, she was told that she was assigned to the oncology department for the day.

Maya twirled her hair back out of her face and retied the ponytail while the receptionist got everything pulled up. Maya started around the counter when she heard a familiar voice. The color must have drained from her face as she dived behind the counter and crawled underneath the desk. Maya listed very closely in true horror.

" _How long before I need to come back with a decision about possible treatment?"_

" _You should get a second opinion from another oncologist outside of the hospital. There's another specialist in the area that deals specifically with stage three and four patients."_

" _Can I make some calls before I schedule my next appointment? It's going to be hard to fit around the holidays right now – a visit to the attorney and another specialist."_

" _Absolutely, but I wouldn't wait longer than a couple of weeks. I want to get you scheduled for the third week of January. Sound good for you?"_

Maya forces her eyes into her knees as she listens to one of the most familiar voices in her life discuss a plan of action for late stage cancer. The receptionist was polite enough, confirming the date and time – offering to send a mailer and make a phone call to remind him of his appointment. Casual conversation commences for only the slightest moment before everyone goes separate ways.

After a few more minutes pass Maya is sure that the tears won't come and that she can keep a straight face for the meeting. When she crawls out and stands with a hunch, it becomes silently clear to the receptionist what has just happened; "That is such a horrible way to find that out."

Genuine concern is apparent on her face, but Maya doesn't dare make eye contact with her. Instead she nods with a hand creeping up her chest to grasp her heart. Mortified and breathless she waves with her free hand before leaving to the conference hall on the second floor. Only one thought passes through her mind: _how long do I have to pretend not to know?_

Arriving with nearly fifteen minutes to spare, Maya does the only thing that she can do – make small talk with her supervisor. It keeps her mind off of the information she's just acquired completely by accident and off of the other issues in her life. Her supervisor, Nadía, was a delightful woman. She always knew the availability of various doctors' offices and who had the lowest rates. She's been at the hospital for about fifteen years and was closely acquainted with just about every medical professional within forty miles. That's what made her so much fun, though!

Nadía starts by asking Maya how the work went with oncology. Since she was moving stuff from their first floor office to their new sixth floor office, well, she told Nadía that basic manual labor was not her favorite job responsibility in the world – but that her speed was adored by millions of fans. Together they chuckled at her blunt (and very fake) confidence.

"Have you ever wondered what it would be like to work in a different hospital, Nadía? You've been here so long. Do you ever think about whether or not another location would pay you more or make you happier?" Maya doesn't ask with any particular weight in the words. It has been a curiosity of hers since she was hired into the department. Nadía always stressed how satisfying it was to work as a nurse part-time in the pediatrics apartment and spend the other half of her time managing the staff assignments. All it really meant was the two days a week she spent her time in the central office directing the "float" staff to different departments, scheduling student visits, and making calls for clinical hours needing filled. Still, Nadía always assured the staff that her job was very fulfilling.

"Sometimes," Nadía smiles, "But my path was always going to lead me back here. I recently took my last class for my Master's degree. I finally have my MBA and can look for a more family friendly schedule. I miss my family so much." Maya could relate and had to force herself not to think about all the terrible, awful things that were happening to her simultaneously. No drama in her mind, no waiver in her voice – that was the plan.

"And you're not having any children of your own? You look so natural with all your nieces and nephews." All of the time off that Nadía took was spent taking her nieces and nephews to various theme parks, zoos, and aquariums. She was the youngest sibling in her family but wouldn't be the oldest one to have children. Apparently her sister, who was thirty-one, was pregnant with her fifth child. Nadía was still within her "child-bearing" years at four years younger, but she insisted she could not have any of her own children.

A smile breaks out over her face; "There are too many children in the world to love. If I want to raise a child then I will find one who needs a home." Initially she looks sad, almost as though it were not her choice to have chosen a childless life, but it is soon replaced with a joking expression; "I must be more careful if those are my plans, though. I had a scare last week! I was a few days late but thankfully it was only because I was looking at an old calendar in the break room."

Now, Maya certainly doesn't enjoy discussing these sorts of things with other women at the hospital. Friendly as she was with the majority of the staff, Maya never got close enough to anyone to properly consider them a "close friend." Only certain people were permitted to know her menstrual cycle: Lucas, Riley, her gynecologist, and Conner (by no intentional action on Maya's part). Nadía only knew because Maya had not packed enough tampons for a shift a few months back and needed to borrow some from her.

As all of this processes very quickly in her mind she thinks about this information. Nadía and her are on the same cycle. Well, approximately. Maya has usually been within a day or two of her supervisor as far as complaints of nausea, ached abdomens, and ridiculous caffeine cravings beyond the usual desire. It was never useful information unless Maya needed to suck up for some extra lunchtime.

If Nadía had a scare last week… Maya covered her mouth mid-laugh and gave a pathetic sort of squeal to her supervisor before sprinting down the hall to vomit in the nearest laundry bin.

* * *

When Maya gets home Lucas is still gone, but he assured her that he was definitely going to come back. In fact, when she told him she was going to be home earlier than expected he'd taken to texting her every ten minutes that he would be home soon. Being alone in the apartment was daunting and painful after the meeting at the hospital.

They were eliminating her department. It was initially incorporated nearly two decades ago for the overflow of patients and work that were constantly plaguing the hospital. A couple of years ago just before Maya started working, though, several departments were coming to an end on their contracts to work with the hospital. A few various physicians decided to open private practices and would be moving their patients to an outside location. This freed up space for renovations that have been working almost nonstop since then. In fact, that's part of why the oncology office was relocating.

Unfortunately, this meant her department for overflow is completely irrelevant now. The budget was opened up entirely with two of the five biggest departments moving out of the building. It was a good decision by the physicians' part – particularly rehabilitation was growing so large it required nearly and entire floor – since the growth in those markets was doubling over. Still, the way they were handling the jobs didn't part in her favor.

Veteran CNAs were offered positions in order of seniority. In her float unit there were fifteen CNAs working full time, and another five working part-time. There were only eight available CNA spots currently open in the hospital, which meant that Maya was given a list of positions that would be posted within ninety days once the other departments finished their move officially.

This meant that Maya was officially unemployed once the week was over. Nadía was only extending the week for her because of their conversation prior to the meeting. When it dawned on her that she was late for her period everything fell onto her shoulders in a giant thump. Nadía said that it would give her a chance to network her way into an appointment with her gynecologist to confirm a possible pregnancy before they have to submit her termination paperwork.

" _It also gives you a chance to network before leaving. Perhaps an administrative position would suit you?"_ Nadía had said before Maya left the room with weakness riddling her bones. It was a shame that she couldn't be bothered to realize when her cycle was off. Maya suddenly felt absolutely guilty for being hurt that Lucas kept forgetting their date nights. She's been getting a period every month regularly for nearly an entire decade and somehow she's managed to miss it. Lucas and Maya have only been doing Tuesday night date nights for a few years, it would seem only fair that as he finishes his degree he would forget things too.

She would say without punishment – but Maya's punishment for forgetting is an unplanned pregnancy. So, in a strange sort of circle she feels that she can still be justified in her frustration with Lucas. After all, there's still this kiss business that has her stomach in knots.

Maya opts to lay down on the couch and shoot Riley a text message, just to see how she's doing. The only message she gets back is a selfie of Derek eating a taco on the beach. She then replies with a short video that they're taking a free surf class together to celebrate their two-year anniversary.

It still shocks Maya that Derek actually showed up in California. They met and had some sort of casual fling in New York. It was literally the epitome of casual, honestly. Riley and Derek insisted they were just friends and many actually believed it. When she moved they kept in touch online but eventually Derek teetered over to California with a few thousand bucks in hand – looking for a new life. Riley helped him figure out what it was he wanted to do and what made him happy, just like the friend she was to him in New York, and the rest is sort of this odd history.

Maya never thought Riley would go for someone like Derek. He's fun in the kind of way that would have made Middle School Riley have heart attacks. He doesn't do everything by the rules; he doesn't really enjoy musicals and over-the-top stories; and he definitely not a fan of traditions – something that the Matthews family has pride in upholding in their generation.

Still, Riley and Derek made compromises on various things. Riley is still very much Riley, and Derek is as much Derek as he ever could have been, and the two of them just match. It's sort of like sweet and sour sauce, Riley likes to say, they balance each other out. Riley is the organization to Derek's chaos while Derek is the daredevil to her cautious bystander. Maya has come to assume that their oddity personalities compliment one another simply because neither of them as far left or right as they assume.

Maya shoots Riley a thumbs up emoji followed by a surfing icon. There is no present need to talk since none of the things plaguing her mind are going away any time soon. If Maya wanted she could probably call Farkle and chat with him but she fears that with it being finals week in most schools there would be very little attention to divert to her. Selfish as it sounded, Maya wanted to talk to someone that would give her the full attention she felt she needed right now.

Scrolling through a short contact list only ends fruitlessly. Even Conner isn't an option at the moment, as he is likely still working at the office. Settled in the solidary, she tosses her phone on the coffee table and rolls over. At first pulling the afghan over her body didn't seem very appealing. Several long minutes breezed by, though, causing her to feel vulnerable and exposed. To help ease her state of mind Maya eventually wraps herself in a "blanket burrito" to nap until Lucas makes it back home.

* * *

Nadía is waiting in Maya's parking spot the following morning. She was running a little late but it was partially because she had gotten so worked up on her drive over that she needed to stop and throw up outside of the car. Maya followed protocol and made a call into the hospital to give fair warning. Of course, nobody had really expected Maya to be in work after the meeting, so her being late wasn't an issue to literally anyone in the building.

"I know it's not your gynecologist but one of OBs came for a brunch meeting this morning. He'll be free in a couple of hours if you'd like him to test your pee and do a quick ultrasound – no charge, of course. Believe it or not, people owe me favors." Nadía winks at Maya. Instantly she realizes that Nadía is probably implying that she's been romantically linked to this particular obstetrician. Even though Maya is hardly ever one to take handouts and help from others, she cannot resist this sincere kindness.

It actually makes Maya cry a little bit, "Why are you so nice? How is that genetically possible?" Nadía merely laughs and invites Maya to the cafeteria to grab some tea. Accepting that this is probably going to be the last couple of days she spends working for Nadía – well – she simply wants to enjoy the ride. Of all the people she could have become great friends with it would have been Nadía without a doubt.

The cafeteria is always a bit of a disaster during meeting days. It is significantly worse on meeting days where outside offices come here to discuss contracts, insurance changes, and purchasing deals. Each and every free staff member in the hospital is rushing around the cafeteria trying to help clean it up and prevent a possible lawsuit due to injury. Normally it would seem like a task "beneath them" but most employees like the break from their normal grind.

"Did you think anymore about the administrative possibilities here at the hospital?" Nadía whips her lush black hair over her shoulder. Radiant as she generally is, her supervisor starts grabbing a few different fruits and vegetables to put on her tray. Maya doesn't wish to spend too much money eating but the idea of being pregnant consumes her. Besides, if she does have a cell mass that will someday become a human being, isn't she obligated to eat a little extra?

Maya opts for less healthy options. She grabs a bag of Cheetos, a chocolate chip muffin, and dollop of hash browns. It wouldn't make sense to purchase tea with this 'meal' so she gets strawberry milk instead, because why not? Pleased with her choices, Maya checks out and follows Nadía only halfheartedly reconsidering what she suggested yesterday.

"Administration would be nice. The hours would be fixed, I would be salaried, and I'd get to stay on the hospital insurance. I just worry that my education isn't sufficient. I am not very interested in returning to school." Maya declares. She would be able to do basic jobs like checking patients in, checking patients out, getting co-payments before appointments, and transcription work. Other than that, if she wanted something secure she would likely need to get a business degree to stay relevant.

Nadía shrugs, "I think you would be happier doing something else. If not administration, then you should keep consider physical therapy. Your personality is perfect for those in recovery."

All she's trying to do is make through today. 'One step at a time' is the motto that Maya has to adopt if she's going to make it through the holidays. Nadía challenges her to break that cycle of thinking, though, and makes a suggestion. Physical therapy is something that would be kind of fun. Maya would be with the same patients for several weeks, allowing her to establish friends and connections of her own. Ultimately, all Maya wants is a flexible schedule with a reliable insurance and retirement to be utilized. Honestly, she doesn't _need_ that from the hospital.

Too much is on her mind, though, and all she can say is, "I'll look into it," because anything else would be too much. Nadía seems to see this and opts to discuss other matters. She was not included in the eight jobs that were to be filled by the CNAs. As such, the work she does is being moved to part-time hours. Nadía explains now that she is leaving the hospital at the end of the month not unlike her closest staff members.

"Many of us who are being moved to part-time status have begun looking for jobs elsewhere. I have applied for a pharmaceutical representation position with one of the companies that distributes to us. I would hate being away from nieces and nephews so often, but being able to travel would be nothing shy of amazing." Maya listens as diligently as she can and smiles when it socially appropriate. The plan sounds solid. Pharmaceutical companies paid decently, covered a fair amount of the travels, and the connections that Nadía makes with each person she meets is phenomenal. She would be able to climb her way through the ranks of any company that hires her.

After this the ladies make small talk about the various things in the hospital that are changing, so many which hare for the better. It fills the time until Nadía's phone buzzes. Finally the meeting is over and the obstetrician friend she knows is able to take Maya into a free exam room to get things figured out. Confirming a possible pregnancy certainly falls in the "priority" category, but Maya almost wishes she could pretend that she had her cycle and had just forgotten about it. It would be one less worry weighing her down. Doing so would be irresponsible, though, so she goes along with Nadía wearing a solemn expression.


	4. Boy is Surprised

When Friday morning finally rolls around, Lucas cannot shake the feeling that Maya has been avoiding him. Last night when she got home from work she told him that they needed to talk about some stuff after he got home from the ranch. Lucas practically begged Maya to go to the ranch but she insisted that she was too exhausted. Arguing with her seemed ridiculous when they still hadn't addressed the kiss with Bridgette.

Then, almost as thinking her name called out to her, Bridgette appears in the seat in front of him. At first Lucas believes that it's a hallucination but shaking his head doesn't make her go away; "I know you wish it weren't true. I am _actually_ here."

One hand rest in his pocket where he had the ring he'd purchased Wednesday night. It was not much because spending that kind of money without Maya noticing the drop in their savings account would have been impossible. It was meager at best but Maya wasn't about flash. In fact, she used to joke, "It's not about flash it's about class!" And then she'd wear the most ridiculous outfits to the rodeos.

"You owe me an apology." Lucas grumbles.

"That is very true. I thought I owed you an explanation, though." Bridgette puts a picture of her and her fiancé on the table. Then she makes a line of pictures until there are eleven pictures total. Lucas notices how in love they look in each picture, but somehow becoming more invested in one another the newer the pictures. Lucas wondered whether or not his own relationship progressed so nicely.

Of course, he sort of didn't want their romance if it meant kissing someone else and ruining a solid relationship.

"Carson and I have known each other our entire lives. We started dating in junior high, but we broke up a bunch of times between then and graduating high school. Somehow the time apart made us grow closer. I don't think I've been more in love with Carson in my life than I was when I cried into his lap about kissing a near stranger just to make sure I was ready to get married to him." Bridgette seems cheery enough. Lucas listens intently as she recounts how understanding her boyfriend way when she came to him about her mistake. Their open communication proves to be the essential reason that they keep going back to one another.

The story helps Lucas remember why it was he trusted Maya in high school. When nobody else would understand why he wasn't going to college, Maya welcomed him into her home to pretend the future was still far away. When Riley and Lucas broke up, it was Maya that let him eat her food and crash on her couch. Lucas never had to worry about being himself with Maya because she loved him no matter what.

…Which is why, you know, Lucas is going to propose to her in a few days…

"Thank you for sharing. I guess I should apologize for Maya attacking you. I doubt she regrets hitting you but I know she feels bad for hurting you as the result of that action." Lucas loses his confidence half way through the sentence, realizing that Maya probably couldn't care less. Hitting Bridgette was a pent up reaction that was drawn out by a meaningless kiss.

Bridgette laughs, "I am sure she feels bad about something but it most certainly is not about hitting me. I deserve this." As she stands she gestures to her entire face. Lucas gets a laugh out of it. Once she leaves without a glance back at him the air becomes lighter. In every rite, Lucas should be jealous of Bridgette and Carson. They haven't stressed over the kiss that paused his entire life on an unflattering frame.

Lucas isn't jealous, though, and he isn't really sure why.

* * *

Maya beats Lucas home. There are a couple of folders on the coffee table, along with a prescription bottle and cups of – tea? It didn't smell like coffee. Maybe it's a "tea" table now. Pretending that everything is normal just for a couple of minutes he swings his backpack onto the floor and dives into the couch after slamming the door shut.

"What's up beautiful?" Normally his girlfriend would have laughed, or at least smiled. Today she simply pats his back and shifts on her cushion. Her left hand gestures to the folders he saw already. Lucas picks up that Maya isn't in the mood for childish behaviors. Straightening himself he awaits further information.

Maya practically gasps for air before lifting her arm again to gesture to the table, "Each of these two folders have important papers in them pertaining to our future. Before you look in either folder I want us to get this kiss business behind us. Think we can do that?" At least she doesn't sound stressed when she asks him to discuss Bridgette. It needs to happen or it will haunt them. There is no effort required to agree to her request.

Maya asks him how he knows Bridgette, if they've been close. She asks whether he's spoken to Bridgette since then, and he promptly tells her of the conversation the two of them had shared. Each question was humbling in a way, as Maya continued to bring up various things.

Very finally, "I think that this kiss was just a tiny pre-test. I think our love is bigger than jealousy over a kiss. You haven't been dogging me about where I'm at every day and I don't worry about whether or not I'll come home to another lady locked to your lips."

Maya then grabs the folders and places them in his hands. She explains that one folder has good news and the other has bad news. It would depend on what order he reads them or his emotional opinion. Either way, she assures him, she will learn a lot about him and their relationship after he reads the contents of the folders. Lucas almost tosses the folders on the table.

Maya must have sensed as much, "Not reading them tells me just as much."

One folder is yellow and the other is blue. Lucas can guess which folder is the good news or the bad news. Yellow is a bright color intended to evoke happiness while blue was a cool color that helps calm the mind. Knowing Maya Hart, the secret mastermind that she is, the folders have been switched. The good news was placed in the blue folder and visa verse. Even if they weren't switched, Maya wouldn't take note of simply his first pick but how he reacted to it.

Feeling that there is no way to win or lose, Lucas opens both folders and glances at each one for only a moment. He catches sight of only a few key words.

 _ **Prenatal.**_

 _ **Unemployment.**_

 _ **First Trimester.**_

 _ **Insurance Options.**_

The prescription bottle is obviously pre-natal pills. The tea is tea because it's healthier than coffee. The kiss isn't a problem because in the grand scheme of things it was barely a blip. All of this stuff took precedence in their life now forcing littler details to stand out. Lucas leans back on the couch without bothering to read any of the paperwork very closely.

"I guess there's never been a better time to talk about our future together as a family. Do you want to be a mother? We've never discussed it in great length." Breathlessness overcomes him. The plan was to propose on Christmas Eve but Lucas questions whether or not that would be best now. What if Maya thought he was only proposing because she was having his baby? What if she doesn't want to be a mother, and aborts the pregnancy? Would she think he was only proposing because he felt bad for what happened? Lucas doesn't have much time to get lost in his thoughts because Maya stands up abruptly.

For a second she doesn't seem to remember why she's stood up, but seconds later she darts off towards the bathroom. Prolonged gurgles of muffled vomiting emerge from the hallway. Lucas takes a moment before following his girlfriend. He stops only to grab a washcloth. Once in the bathroom he wets it with cool water and holds it on the back of Maya's neck.

Nothing seems to be coming up. Maya struggled with bulimia in the past. It has been so long that he hadn't once suspected her of falling into those old habits. Even now he doesn't believe that she would repeat those mistakes, but he worries about her state of mind. She hasn't eaten enough to throw up normally. If anything does come up it's basically water mixed with stomach acid: "You need to eat. If not because you're pregnant, at least because you're super stressed out right now."

Maya starts crying. It wasn't as though she'd never cried in front of him. When Riley missed her birthday party, cancelled weekend plans, and forgot to call Maya back about attending her graduation – Maya cried very hard. Sometimes she even cried over her favorite television shows and artwork that she'd find stored in boxes. None of those cries were quite like this one, though, and Lucas is nothing short of surprised.

Normally he knows what to do or say but all he can do now is hold her. Her sobs grow almost violent in nature. Arms stay wrapped around her tight while she blows her nose into his shirt. Until she's ready to tell him what's going on for her, all he can do is cry with her. Lucas is in no place to assure his girlfriend – no place to tell her it's okay that she's lost her job – no place to tell her how to proceed with the pregnancy. In this relationship they are equals.

Only then does Lucas pinpoint why he isn't jealous of Bridgette and Carson. Maybe it was true that Carson was wholly vested in his fiancée. In fact, he would have made bets on Carson's genuine love for her. As far as Bridgette, well, he wasn't sure that she knew she was ready to marry her long-time boyfriend. Perhaps they had a different kind of relationship but Lucas didn't care to know.

"For what it's worth, Maya Hart, I want to be with you for the rest of my life. I want to make mistakes by your side. I want to enjoy the fruits of our labor together. We don't have to have a plan right now, or even tomorrow. The only plan I want to have is that I am with you forever." Lucas' declaration surprisingly evokes a laugh from the love of his life. Blotchy cheeks and bloodshot eyes peer up at him. It is distracting and he nearly doesn't pay attention to Maya but he manages to stay focused.

There wasn't much for her to say in reply. All she manages to do it confirm that they are still on the same page. Even if their lives feel like excerpts and references insert into different books, the two of them are intricately tied to one another. Each story exists because of the other. Maya pokes her nose up with partially puckered lips for a tiny kiss.

* * *

Since there was no in depth conversation about the pregnancy, Lucas wanted to make sure that he got up before Maya and thoroughly reviewed the paperwork. It's not like he had no idea whatsoever about babies. He knew enough about pregnancy to help make changes to Maya's diet – though not many were needed – and how to best move forward with her work schedule…

Except that, obviously, she has no work schedule to speak of at this point. Having just lost her job is pretty much the worst thing that could happen right now. They had just purchased gifts that could barely afford in the first place. Maya was the primary income for their household, too. Lucas got money from school and from working at the ranch, kind of at least, but there's no way he could sustain them.

That is why Lucas decides the best plan of action is to move back in with his dad until Maya has the baby. Honestly, it's the best-case scenario. Maya doesn't have to worry too much about finding a job immediately, or having to go on maternity leave so soon after being hired. As for Lucas, he can finish school up knowing that no matter what Maya is being taken care of by Les and Conner.

Speaking, or rather thinking, about Conner – Lucas hasn't reached out to him since the kiss. They'd been consumed with their own lives that they hadn't reached out to him yet. Perhaps Maya was responding to his text messages but Lucas certainly hadn't made time. He wants to invite him over for lunch but after breakfast Lucas has to rush off for his last test before his break begins. It's just a dissection that he already knows he's capable of doing flawlessly.

Just as he reaches for his phone Maya stumbles out with one hand glued to her face and the other clawing the wall to stay upright. He nearly catapults himself out of the couch but she waves at him, "Please don't treat me like a delicate flower. I am just super hungry and very tired."

Thankful that he already planned on a simple breakfast, he goes to refrigerator and pulls out some fresh fruit and yogurt. He was planning on eating at the couch but she throws herself into bar stool. Accepting this he puts together her parfait and slides it across the counter, "Do you want to talk at all before I take off?"

May shrugs her shoulders. Her indifference is a little painful. Silence fills the empty space in the room while neither of them talk. To supplement the fruit parfaits, Lucas starts panfrying some sausage patties. It doesn't take long, partially because it's frozen sausage from the grocery store instead fresh ground sausage from his dad's best friend, Daryl – from whom they usually purchase meat. That's part of their "on the go" lifestyle, though, and he learned to accept it long ago.

"I think I can be a mom. I can't do it alone but I'm hoping that I don't have to do that…" Maya manages between starved shovels of food into her mouth. Hearing her speak so naturally about it must mean that she already considered his question from last night. Lucas lets a smile tear his mouth apart as he plates the sausage.

Of course Maya wouldn't have to do it alone, "We can do this just fine. For all we know, this was supposed to happen." Nodding heads and soft chuckles confirm that they don't know that this is a true statement but neither can refute the possibility. Lucas likes to think that everything happens the way it is supposed to happen, even if he doesn't like it.

* * *

A/N: I know that it can sometimes feel repetitive when you each character has secrets and you hear both sides - but we're going to be able to move away from that in the coming chapters. We have two big plot twists that are coming soon, too, and we're going to see how it affects the relationship between Lucas and Maya - and the importance of friendship!


	5. Girl & the Secrets

Conner reached out to Maya yesterday and she told Lucas she had every intention of meeting him for a smoothie in town for lunch. He'd set off a large bit of time in the afternoon to speak with her about their situation. Lucas was sure that he was going to tell Maya he could get her a position at the behavioral center where he was working. There was something about the way he spat the words at her, though, that made her wonder where the jealousy towards Conner was suddenly stemming.

Of course, she doesn't have to wonder long because he has to leave early to meet with his father. Apparently he wanted to update his will and asked that Lucas come over the ranch to discuss details in private. Maya was offended but relieved simultaneously. If Les decides to tell Lucas about his cancer diagnosis then Maya felt that was not something she deserved to share with her boyfriend. Close as she'd become with his family, especially Les, this was too personal for her to know first. She was still just a girlfriend – at least as far as Les knew right now.

Her satchel slams against her thighs as she bobbles into a small vegetarian joint that Conner really enjoys. He's already sitting in a corner booth with his face shoved into his phone. Once he realizes that Maya is working her way through the crowd he gets out of the booth and stands to await her company.

"This place is surprisingly busy! Who knew there was such a demand for vegan friendly dining in Austin?" Conner laughs, pointing out that many people are switching to vegan and vegetarian diets due to the benefits that it has in ones health. He tells Maya that he figured avoiding any place that serves coffee and fried food might be best with the nausea that is sure to plague her.

Maya raises a brow, "And how did you find out, exactly?"

"Call me sexist, but I generally schedule myself very light for appointments and social plans during your cycle. Lucas has been so busy with school that you've leaned a lot on me to fill up your free time when all you want to do is eat ice cream and take goofy pictures." Conner laughs a little bit at the end of his statement. There is a deliberate avoidance of eye contact that even Maya couldn't miss from behind her menu. She forgets what she's read in the lunch specials column immediately and focuses her gaze upon her friend.

"I don't think that qualifies as sexist, honestly. It is very kind of you. Why are you so embarrassed?" She's never once thought of Conner as anything but sincere. Even Riley gave her stamp of approval when she had a wardrobe malfunction at a water park and Conner came to the rescue where Riley would have otherwise saved the day. Of all of the things for Conner to be humiliated by – well – this is probably not the first thing she would have thought of in their friendship.

A server shows up at the table in a boisterous green outfit that has a variety of recycled pins. Scary numbers of flower and plant pictures distract from that the fact that the server is asking Maya repeatedly if she's alright, "Sorry, your uniform is super busy. I got lost in all of the foliage for a second."

The server belts out in surprised laughter. Apparently the nature reference got her cracking up and she offered drinks on the house – as soon as Maya told her what she'd be enjoying for the day. She stutters and order for a mixed berry smoothie before Conner asked for a raspberry tea. Maya questions his lack of an order for smoothie but he shrugs his shoulders passively before returning his eyes to the menu.

"You come here all the time. Do you not have the menu memorized yet?" Maya jokes lamely. He was the one that invited her here but he makes no effort to properly carry on a conversation. Everything about it seems sort of fishy to her but she isn't going to ask outright. It could deter him from speaking about it at all.

"I caught word that the hospital eliminated your department. I'm the last person that Lucas wants help from right now, but I would be willing to pay for your break lease fees and temporary insurance for you until you've got something figured out." Conner fails to make any personal connection with her as he makes his offer. She knew that his pay was decent, that he had a reasonable savings built up from working throughout college with no need to do so. Wrapping her mind around the fact that he not only can comfortably make this offer financially is impossible alone, but he also cares enough to make an offer without request of anything in return. Maya doesn't believe she deserves such kindness.

All of it makes her uneasy, but there's one thing in particular that has her a little more uncomfortable than the rest. Maya notices the server returning and quickly decides on a dish. She opts for a taco salad bowl and a side of fresh fruit. Conner takes the same thing, swearing that it somehow sounds like what he needs today exactly. Once the server pops away again with their order, Conner crosses his arms on the tabletop.

"Why wouldn't Lucas want help from you? Are you guys fighting?" Maya knew that neither of them had really messaged him much. When he did text Maya last week she insisted that they were just busy. It was her thinking that Lucas would have been doing the same thing but perhaps that wasn't the case.

Conner shrugged, "I don't know. He avoided me when I asked him what he was up to these days – since it had been three or four days since they'd talked last. Yesterday I asked if he needed anything and he told me to just keep my distance for now." This is probably why, Maya concludes, he's called her out for lunch. A wave of understanding settles in her gut before she sighs. Conner pushes his phone across the table with the messaging thread with Lucas. There was more than his request for space – it was a specific request for him to give Maya some space.

"Well shit," The cursing draws some attention of hipsters wearing sunglasses inside, "I guess I shouldn't have let him know I was having lunch with you today." A look of indifference settles over Conner's face. There was never a problem with Conner keeping himself separate from their lives. He never felt like a third wheel, or at least he never conveyed as much, and Maya certainly never got that worry about him. He knew where the line was and he never crossed it.

At least, not that Maya had ever regarded. It would seem that Lucas disagreed, "Did something happen between you guys that he would say that to me?" Conner's voice sounds nonchalant and airy, almost as if he couldn't care less, though his face betrays him. A tiny curve in his lips and gloss in his eyes confirm that it hurt him deeply that Lucas would make such a request.

"We just had a few things come up the last few days. Aside from what you already know, I guess the only other noteworthy thing is that a girl from school followed Lucas home and kissed him at the apartment." Conner chokes on his drink before setting it back on the table in a sketchy flourish. His hands fly into his chest as he tries to compose himself. Maya doesn't have any immediate concern. Instead she offers him some napkins from the dispenser and simply waits.

By the time he gathers himself, the server returns with a small basket of snap peas for them to snack on – apparently there was a situation in the kitchen that has delayed orders. Conner thanked her politely before turning his attention back to Maya.

The way he looked at her was different than any previous memory she could conjure. Something about it felt familiar but she couldn't remember why or in what way. When his stare softened into something more recognizable as pity he finally says something; "I suppose he thought I'd try to kiss you."

"Or the other way around," Maya jokes passively, "He probably thought one of us would try to even the score. As if we were that immature!" She laughs but she does so alone. Conner is already snacking on the snap peas so she can't hold it against him for not joining in with her. At least he manages a grin and a head nod to show his own amusement.

Lunch continues on as usual. Conner lets Maya in on the few things he can share with her about work, mentioning that he could probably find a job for her when she was ready to return to work. Maya explains that Lucas' plan is to move back in with Les – with which she starts to reveal he has cancer but quickly rethinks her words.

"I mean, I think he'd like to have the company. He's getting older and soon he won't be able to maintain the ranch at all." Maya remarks. Conner doesn't seem to have noticed she cut herself off, and for it she is thankful. They discuss the limitations that Les has adopted due to his age and healthy, noting that the profits are down too. This makes it difficult to hire people to do the work he usually covers without risking the need to file bankruptcy on the property. All businesses wax and wane, he insists, and assures Maya that the ranch will never close. The Friar Farm has been around for ten generations.

"It has seen hard times before and still prevailed. I expect no less when Lucas takes the helm." Somehow she simply cannot see Lucas being able to keep the farm afloat with a full-time job as a veterinary assistant. Maya is no more qualified than a stranger off the streets to take care of the farm on her own, so she feared that Lucas would not see the ranch to the next generation.

Maya crunches her brows into one another, realizing that she's been using the terms "farm" and "ranch" interchangeably. She wondered if they really were different in any way, or if Friar Farms was kind of both, and that people called it whichever they preferred. When she voiced the inquiry to Conner he simply smiled, "Friar Farm is more easily marketed because of the alliteration, but it is technically a ranch. We hold significantly more livestock than actual farmers in the area. We get away with it because Les grows a generous amount of vegetables and herbs."

In the exact same way that Maya was a part of the Matthews family for so long, Conner was a Friar in every respect. The only way he could be more apart of their family is if he married in – some of the cousins were single, after all – or if Les adopted him. In fact, Maya wouldn't be surprised if Conner was included in Les' will. She couldn't imagine Conner being left behind with nothing to call his own when he passes…

Which reminded Maya that she'd seen Les in the oncology department. Her heart began pounding. How did it get to be like this seemingly overnight? A collection of secrets, it would seem, knowing that Lucas didn't trust Conner as much as she thought he had all this time. She knew that Les had cancer and had yet to tell anyone about it. As she took a moment to reflect on how wildly her life had changed her heart simply sank deep into her stomach.

"Excuse me, I'm going to run to the restroom." Conner makes this remark without looking at her even once. His voice is kind and polite as anyone would expect from Conner, but Maya can't help but notice his eyes are glued to his phone. It makes her uneasy but she thinks nothing of it any further. Maya decides that it must be a work call and focuses on snacking.

Five minutes pass, then ten minutes. Maya is about to ask a male staff member to check on Conner in the bathroom when their food finally arrives. The server lays a plate on either side of the table and grins at her, "I hope your boyfriend didn't abandon you. That would be very rude."

Maya almost chokes on her own spit, "Oh, he's not my boyfriend!" She can't say it fast enough.

"Oh, sweetheart, not yet. I know the look. That boy likes you. He's playing the long game." The server jokes while referencing something that was a little too familiar. Maya used to use those same words to describe the way she was going to win Joshua Matthews over. With time she began letting go of the "long game" mind frame and focused on her own life. Maya wanted to achieve her own happiness, especially with her mother, the fostering, and living on her own.

Maya felt instantaneously nauseous. The server seemed to notice and apologized, she reminded herself aloud that it wasn't her place to make such a personal remark. Then she feels it necessary to explain that Conner visits often and is usually looking at pictures of her on his phone, looking at her profile, or talking about her to friends that join him from time to time; "I shouldn't be making assumptions like that on the job."

"Or ever." Maya manages before asking her to leave as civilly as possible. Shortly after she leaves Conner returns to that table grinning. It looks forced but she never would have supposed as much were it not for the server's observation about Conner's feelings. Did she need anything else in her life to stress her out?

They start eating effortlessly. Maya is able to fall back into pattern flawlessly, something she definitely perfected during her time at the hospital. Still, when Conner isn't looking she stares at him briefly with concern. He was her best friend behind Lucas and Riley. He was there for her in a way Riley couldn't be due to her life in California. He was supportive in a way Lucas sometimes couldn't be due to his schedule. He gave her advice and wisdom that a parent would share with a child in another scenario. Maya didn't want it to be true that Conner had romantic feelings for her.

But it would explain the familiarity in the way he looked at her earlier…

 _Too many secrets_ , Maya thought to herself, _I don't want to know any of them._

* * *

 _A/N: Sorry it's been so long. If you didn't already know - I'm a married parent working in retail management who also volunteers as a sports team manager. When I'm not working on those two jobs I am writing for my original blog. My time is constantly being allocated to a dozen different things and I've been trying to put time and effort into this story that I started (which is why I've been M.I.A. from the fanfiction community for a long time). But hopefully I can gain some momentum this week with three days off - two of them in a row!_


	6. Just a Boy Asking Questions

A/N: I am extremely busy and depressed, which is the main factor in my not posting for several weeks. My personal goal is to try to post two chapters a month if I can find the time. I figure that's a low enough goal for myself that I should be able to do that considering I was generally writing two chapters at a time when I got into a good groove.

Please be aware that this chapter was written over 4 different sittings. I tried my best to make it flow smoothly as if it were written straight through. I tried to make tense corrections and pronoun corrections but who knows whether I did a good job until you've read through it. I'm sorry regardless. Please enjoy - I hope to be more active for you.

* * *

Lucas hadn't told anyone exactly what he'd been planning for the Friar Family dinner they hold on Christmas Eve each year. The only thing that anyone knew is that he wanted to go _last_ when the gift exchange was happening – and that whoever had Maya needed to trade with him. Anyone who might have suspected that he was going to propose had done a fantastic job keeping it behind locked lips.

Admittedly, he'd wanted to tell someone. There was the consideration that he should let his father know, but since his relationship with Maya was strong he wanted it to be a surprise for him too. Nobody could know in order for him to have the impact that he desired.

Now that the part was in full swing he realizes that he is nervous. The confidence that he found last week when he purchased the ring dissipated. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that Maya spent time alone with Conner yesterday. She was distant after the lunch. Lucas told Conner to keep his distance because he knew that he needed that this matter couldn't have outside influence. This was the most his relationship with Maya had ever been tested. It was crucial that they resolve it on their own.

Conner somehow interfered, though, and Lucas was not sure proposing to Maya now was the wisest move for them. His love for her is no different. His commitment to her is no different. Even his opinion of Conner is no different. Worry is simply swelling in his gut harshly.

"How you doin' son?" His father asks when he finds himself shooting back a couple of whiskeys in the kitchen. Apparently Maya had been in the bathroom throwing up for about ten minutes and had asked someone to find Lucas. Feeling terrible about himself and his selfish motivation to propose to her…

…Well, he sort of forgot that she was pregnant and that maybe wasn't at her best. Several people had questioned him if Maya was ill or if she'd been to the doctor yet. Lucas assured each person that she was just fine. Others questioned if something was wrong, then, but promised them – and him self, to some degree – that everything was delightful. Most of his words were intended to remind himself that everything was going to work out in spite of the fact that he didn't wholly believe the words himself.

"I was hoping we could at least make it through the exchange. Which bathroom is she in?" By no means does he intend to sound so angry. Fatherly eyes glare down at him suspiciously. Briefly he lectures Lucas about being a gentleman and getting her home if she's not feeling well. Then he explains that she's in her old bathroom upstairs. Lucas hesitates no longer and jogs his way through the house.

Maya was slumped not next to the toilet but in the shower. The shower was running and she was lying in her underwear with her hands on her stomach. With a frown on her face she moaned in discomfort; "The devilled eggs did not agree with me."

Absently Lucas remarks to her, "The baby is going to be a meat lover."

Maya rolls over and points a finger, "We haven't even talked about the organism inside of me yet. Don't use the 'b' word." Her words don't sound convincing, meaning she's likely struggling to convince herself one way or the other on motherhood. She already declared that she would be willing to be a mother under better circumstances. Lucas and Maya were working hard to make things make sense when they simply do not. A sigh escaped from behind his lips.

It would be easy not to say 'baby' until Maya officially decided to maintain her pregnancy. That was just an issue of respect, which he could handle. The painful part would be accepting that Maya could still choose to terminate. Lucas could do nothing about it since it was not his body.

There was certainly no rush to make it to the exchange at this point. Pretending as everything was normal, as if nothing had changed, was never going to sufficiently resolve the issues. So he slumps down against the wall and shrugs his shoulders once he hits the floor. Even though Maya is avoiding eye contact with him he stares at her attentively. This was never apart of the happily ever after story he'd expected.

"We can go home if you would like and figure all of this out. We're hitting a wall, aren't we?" Lucas offers. Maya smiles faintly. Initially it would look genuine, and anyone else would have believed her amused. Everyone else who saw her would believe she was at ease, but not Lucas. As her boyfriend, hopefully her fiancé, he could see through it. Even at a distance he could see the slightest quiver in her brows, the shadow a wrinkle in her chin. It was the shadow of sorrowful agreement. Both of them were still at a loss.

Maya doesn't wait long to reply, "Let's just go to bed here. I don't have a change of clothes here anyway. Could you just throw those clothes in the wash? I might have thrown up down the front of myself when I came up…" Her voice trails off as his eyes trace the path of her finger. Her clothes and two towels had been thrown into the trash bin. Lucas gets a chuckle out of it, which prompts her to laugh along with him. Tension doesn't melt away like Lucas always believed happened when couples found middle ground, but it did start to chip off.

Feeling better he decides to reply, "I'm sure someone bought you clothes for Christmas, but we can stay here. Anything else you need while I'm downstairs?" The offer is as natural as breathing. Doing things for and with Maya were second nature after all this time. Initially she says she is fine, but then she then asks for some water and a plate of greens. Then she asks for a specific blanket that is kept in the living room. Then and then, and then, and then, she asks for a ton of things and it forces Lucas to make a small written list.

"So laundry, greens, blanket, pitcher of ice water, our gift exchange gifts, your purse, and you decided you do want the ice pack?" Maya is nodding before he finishes the question. For a brief second things feel really good before Lucas leaves the room to fetch all that Maya requires. As he goes he wonders how he'll work a proposal into this new plan. For now, he's not going to do it tonight.

But he _will_ propose soon because there's nobody else he'd rather marry than Maya Hart.

* * *

Morning comes and Maya wakes before Lucas. She'd fallen asleep while he was gathering everything she'd asked of him. When he returned he must have moved her into the bed. Today is now Christmas Day, and somehow the holiday spirit was completely absent. Perhaps it is due to the fact that she is pregnant in a failing relationship and a secret that wasn't hers to keep. Maybe it is the job loss, or the fact that she felt so alone in Texas. Maybe it is just because she was having a rough year as a whole, and the holidays weren't special so much as they were just another day.

Regardless of what is making her feel so off she manages to trudge her way to the kitchen. At the table sits Les with his hands folded and a familiar folder in front of him. That secret that has been weighing down on her conscience is now openly in front of her. She fears that he believes today was the day he plans to announce his diagnosis. Maya frowns while crossing her arms in a bit of panic.

Nervously she paces as she stares at the folder, "I think we both know that I know what that is on the table."

Les cracks a smile patiently. How a man with cancer could be patient, she doesn't know, but she mirrors that pace. Silence sits between them for a minute or so before he just laughs, "Well, sweetheart, I think butter has been around for a long while now. If you didn't know what it was then I'd be ashamed for you."

Under any other circumstance Maya may have laughed.

"You said anything to anyone about that folder yet?" Maya demanded, turning her back on him and staring out the window. Lucas and Connor couldn't keep up with it on their own, and with lost profits Les was pulling weight he couldn't support around the ranch. It was obvious that things were slowly falling into disrepair: flaking paint, tall grass, weeds everywhere, and shaggy fur on the animals. Aside from that, there were signs inside the house as well. Les had never wanted a dishwasher but earlier this summer he finally had one installed because it was causing his back too much stress to stand and do the dishes on his own. The clothesline outside had been replaced with a top loading washer and dryer to minimize the movement he needed to do to keep up on his household tasks…

When she glances back at Les he's opened the folder to pull out pages. Her body is on autopilot. She walks over and begins reviewing the pages. As it turns out he has stage four leukemia. As low as it could sink, her heart drops there. In her personal opinion, this was one cancer that was most easily misdiagnosed. It could be missed without even a concern arising about it. To top it off, Les is getting older. Things that may have been symptoms of leukemia in a person Maya's age were very often dismissed as signs of aging in someone at Les' stage of life. Seeing that it is so far advanced already on paper…

"Survival rate is low." He declared very certainly.

Maya is about to bite her words at him when they are both taken off guard by another voice interrupting the conversation. It was clear that at that moment that was no more hiding. For Maya, one problem was about to replace another.

"Are the horses okay?" Lucas questioned us with a hazy look in his eyes. Likely he's woke and did not see Maya in bed. He would have checked the bathroom first before sauntering downstairs to see if she was eating. Even though she wasn't very far along, she guesses he expects her to be hungry all of the time. Maya doesn't think negatively of him for expecting that, of course. Pregnancy demands a lot of the body, even in the first trimester. Still, a part of her can't help but be irritated simply because she is already upset with him and their situation.

"This is a conversation you should have had with Lucas when it first came up." Maya dictates angrily. Disagreements have come and gone between Maya and Les, but never were those arguments over something as monumental as his health. There was hardly anything he'd shared with her at this point in time but Les' intentions were clear. He had plans to speak with Maya before his own son.

Lucas perks up at the mention of his name and shoved his hands in his pants pockets. Having grown up here, kind of, Lucas has clothes lying around all the time. He'd found pajamas that still fit him somewhere in the house last night. They were quite snug, which Maya found a little attractive, but he barely seemed to notice.

Maya turned away from both men and decided to rummage the refrigerator. As she put her distance between them she counted her breaths to distract from the explosive conversation.

"What should we be talking about?" The inquiry was soft and clueless. Les was shuffling papers but Maya didn't know if it was in effort to hide them or share them with his son on the other side of the table. The only thing she knew for certain was that neither of them spoke immediately.

And even though silence can last what feels like a lifetime, it can almost move faster than you blink.

For a moment, everything seems pretty normal as Maya poured herself a glass of orange juice and picked off of some fruitcake that one of the older Friar Family members had left. Honestly, Maya didn't know every single person that came to the ranch for the holidays, but she could usually make a good guess at their age based on the food they left behind.

Just about there is when Lucas pieces together what the papers are saying, "Why were you showing these to Maya without me?" A 'demand' might be too nice of a word to describe the way his words sound. Anger isn't just seething in and around the words but it infects the air. Maya had been frustrated in the days leading to this exact revelation but even she gets more upset than she was previously.

Les does not respond, and certainly doesn't have to with his son speaking so disrespectfully. As caught up with the times as the father was these days, one thing never waivers with Lester Friar: _he expects respect._ As Lucas fails to give that to him, the more it becomes obvious why he was never going to be the first to know.

" _This is something you share with your kids first!"_

" _I am entitled to this information because you are my dad!"_

" _I should be the one telling Maya, not you!"_

" _This is a family matter first, and a friend matter second!"_

Each minute grows increasingly hurtful. It seems that nothing is going to stop Lucas until Maya gets the edge of the table and sets down her glass. Tears are streaming down Lucas' cheeks while Les sits with his hands on his thigh, disappointed etched in every wrinkle. The break will only last for a second so she knows she must take advantage of it.

"I didn't realize I wasn't a part of this family, Lucas." Maya remarks, staring coolly and calmly at him. She always believed she was a member of the Friar Family, simply by having been dating Lucas for several years. She lived on the ranch, for crying out loud! If Conner is considered family, then she thought she ought to be too. Of course, she was a member of the Friar Family more than ever because, well, _he was pregnant with a Friar._

"You know what I meant." Lucas grumbles, starting see the mistake in his words. It is too late as far as Maya is concerned. An apology should have never needed to be issued. She belongs her as much as he does, at least she did before…

"Forgive me, but I don't. I am pregnant with your child, Lucas Friar, which means married or not I belong to this family. I have as much right to know this as you do, first or not." Maya declares with her demeanor never compromising. Les does not need a moment to take the new information in and immediately jumps to his feet. Arms wrap around Maya with congratulations, but also apologies.

Les is familiar with the goings-on in their life and the conversation takes a sharp turn. Complaints about Lucas' poor judgment on the girl form the school, whose name Maya can't even remember now. Then there's the whole matter of Connor, who Lucas belittles for the unspoken things that he must have been ignoring all these years. The man in front of her is not the man she fell in love with when she was eighteen years old.

The reality that "people change" hits hard.

Mr. Matthews had taught her "people change people."

If Maya had known this is how things would turn out with Lucas…

Well, she'd have tucked her feelings for Lucas right back under the rug.

"I need space." Maya mumbles, nearly stumbling over her feet. She can hardly believe in a split second she's decided this, but she is committed. Neither Lucas nor Lester looks at her as she leaves the room. Presently they're arguing over what to do with her – as she were an object to be cared for no more than a couch, toy, or car. Maya wishes no more to be a part of Lucas' life.

"I need space from you." She whispers as she makes her way back upstairs with plans to lock the door behind her.

* * *

Lucas sits in the hallway with his back slumped against the door. This is hardly the first time that they've been in this position, on opposite sides of a wall having a disagreement. Of course, it's never been on something this big. Implying that Maya was little more than a friend to the Friar family was absolutely uncalled for, and he knows that _now._

Unfortunately, he'd said many things he didn't mean. The anger that his father had been unwilling to share the news of his cancer diagnosis with him first stung. At a time in his life where he already feels like a proper failure, even his own father doesn't trust him enough to discuss his medical condition. Lucas is officially a stranger in his own family.

"Maya, I'm not even going to bother apologizing." Lucas begins. Well, he was _beginning_. The entire thought will likely get chopped into pieces as Maya shouts back at him, unwilling to remain silent in any conversation.

" _Good! Save your breath."_ Her words aren't mean so much as tired.

After a sigh he continues, "But I want you to know that I'm struggling with a lot of stuff inside of me right now. I can't expect you to stay by my side while I figure it out…" Trailing off only opened the door.

" _And I have no plans of doing that."_ Again, she sounds simply tired.

"But I also want you to know that I have every intention of marrying you. There's an engagement ring in the glass bowl on the dresser. I was going to ask last night but you were sick. And now we're fighting over my own stupidity – again." Self-depravation probably isn't the wisest choice, since it may open a door to a slew of insults he really, really doesn't want to hear from Maya's mouth. It certainly can't be taken back now, though.

There is a familiar _clunk_ from within the room. Lucas knows that she's looking at the ring, "Not sure where you got the money for this," she declares.

Surely she was thinking he must have taken money to pay for it that they didn't have, which isn't necessarily wrong. They were very tight for cash pretty much all the time. To think that he just had the funds ready and chose not to pay bills instead, well, Maya must want to punch him the face in response.

"None of it matters now. I know you are going to leave me, but I hope that we come back together. I hope that you'll take that ring and remember that I have a life for _us_ on this ranch. We have a future here." Here, in Texas. Here, in Austin. Here, at the ranch. Here, between them. This is where Lucas and Maya fell for one another wholly and this is where they'll grow old together too. Nothing will convince Lucas otherwise.

The sound of the _clunk_ is followed by a _clang_ , which he presumes is the box being tossed back into the glass. Maya taking the box with her is definitely a long shot but the best he can do is make arrangements for her at this point. If she won't let him take care of her then he at least knows someone who she will…

Lucas makes the painful walk to his old bedroom where he shuts and locks the door immediately. To ensure that nobody can hear him he slides into his closet and shuts the door. Dialing the phone number is familiar and maybe she's already dialing the number herself, but Lucas pleads that he's the first to reach him.

* * *

"Hey, buddy, can I get a favor from you?"

* * *

A/N2: I kind of want to change the entire outline because I thought of another character I could bring in... Who would you like to see?


	7. Girl Who Has Nothing

A/N: Since there are no reviews and I had the time to write today I change my plan. It never hurts to bring a character back into the story that the fans already know from the show. Who do you think it is?!

* * *

Farkle and Riley are video chatting with Lucas while he's eating breakfast alone in his old bedroom. Riley is telling him that Maya still is responding to her text messages while Farkle is monitoring Maya's online activity. She's not posting anything or changing anything, which is pretty spot on for Maya. Since she's given up the zumba business and yoga classes, well, she's just been absent on social media as a whole. Working all those hours at the hospital certainly didn't give her much freedom either.

"Don't you feel like this whole thing is blowing out of proportion?" Derek can be heard complaining to Riley in the background. It seems as if Auggie is agreeing with him, which must mean Riley cancelled whatever plans she'd made with Derek for the holiday. Lucas hopes it wasn't because she thought she'd have to fly out to Texas.

"Absolutely not! Maya is family no matter what!" Riley remarks, visibly offended. It makes Lucas smile. Farkle can be seen smiling too, his feelings for Riley still apparent in the subtlest ways. He may have chosen to live a life with Smackle, but his love for Riley would never change.

"You're not even talking to Maya right now." Farkle reminds her, but she is quick to argue. She defends that Lucas is as close to Maya as he can get since Maya is ignoring her. Then she goes on to say that she believes love always prevails and that there's no point in wasting her energy hating Lucas when soon enough Maya will be back by his side, where she's always been.

Farkle reminisces on how Maya never judged Lucas for who he was and only ever expected him to stay true to who he was – _not_ what others thought of him. Riley makes a quick eye roll knowing that it's a reference to some of her reactions when they were young. Still, they move on and think of different ways to trick Maya into talking to them.

"You could tell her that you're engaged. She'd probably reply to that." Farkle comments.

Lucas hadn't wanted to share that he'd intended to propose and even showed her the ring, which she left behind, but now it seemed necessary. Sighing heavily, he forces the words out as neutrally as possible, "That would just alienate her further. I was going to propose in an effort to mend the strain and reconnect with Maya on a deeper level. She chose to leave the ring behind when she left yesterday."

Farkle says he's going to use the restroom and turns his phone towards a painting. Lucas is sure that he's trying to call Maya from a different device. Meanwhile, Riley is droning on and on how he should be more assertive and show up and make Maya talk to him. Of course, he knows that this was never going to be an option. Maya would turn him away the instant she saw his face. In his heart he knows that she needs her space. That's why he already has a plan in place.

"Guys, I've got someone who's going to take care of her." Lucas assures them. Riley was not personally a fan of the idea. She felt as if the entire possibility of Maya choosing not to come back to him, well, was far too real. The risk was always going to be that if he let Maya go that she would choose not to come back. Painfully he had to accept her decision as final, unless she carried her pregnancy to term. In which case, he would have legal rights to their child, but he didn't want to get too used to that idea just yet. As far as he could tell, she may choose not to become a mother.

Farkle returns amidst one of Riley's rants of what could happen. Farkle shrugs his shoulders when she's done speaking, "I think Lucas made the best call that he could make right now. If Maya wants some space from him that he's just got to leave her be for now. At least he's got someone who will keep him in the loop and care for her the way he would-"

An angry Riley interrupts, "SHOULD!"

"He's got somebody who will take care of her the way he – _should_ – have cared for her in the first place." Appreciation by the gallon is poured onto Farkle via text message. He was the most understanding of anyone about how the whole situation began. Sort of like Derek, he expressed that the whole thing was blown a bit out of proportion simply by the strain of their circumstances. However, Farkle varied wildly because Derek had never grown very close to Lucas, or anyone in the friend group for that matter. Having someone be kind of on his side was very helpful and reassuring.

It was times like this he missed having Farkle in his life every day.

"I'm going to text her that I just got tickets to Austin. Maybe she'll reply at least to tell me not to come down." Riley decides. Farkle, however, had already made that threat and it didn't elicit any reply. Even Mr. Matthews had said he was flying down for a conference with Topanga. Maya apparently had replied, but only to tell him that there's no such conference.

After awhile Lucas tells everyone he wants to go back to sleep. Everyone hangs up but they continue a group text conversation about updates and various other 'relevant' statements. For example, they noted that Maya checked in at some diner in downtown Austin. The name was immediately familiar. As his eyes began to droop he had to believe everything was going to turn out exactly as it should…

Maya sat on the floor of the apartment with boxes piled up around her. The boxes were ones from when they first moved in and were transporting different things that Lucas had wanted to be there, but in all actuality most of the items in the apartment were hers. She called her landlord and explain the situation, hoping that he'd let her pay two months rent rather than making her pay the break lease fee. He had someone on the waiting list for a free unit and told her not to worry about the rent or fees. Maya was grateful but suspicious, but regardless she used the money she had left to order Chinese food for dinner. Like the packing boxes, the boxes of her favorite noodles and egg rolls were sitting around in her in a daunting circle.

There had never been a plan for life without Lucas. Now she was not just trying to figure out her future without him, but possible with his child now, too. She hadn't thought much on it but she figured putting it off was basically making a decision to keep the… pregnancy? Baby?

Maya huffed and threw herself back on the floor. There's no better way to spend Christmas Day than alone and miserable on the floor of an apartment that was shared with an ex-boyfriend, "This is not how being twenty-two is supposed to feel." Maya blurts to her ceiling. As she does this, her phone starts ringing.

She presumes it will be the first of many phone calls demanding an explanation for her actions. It will be followed by text messages and social media notifications, and possible even emails. She has committed to a day of distance. Maya needs to figure out what it is she wants to do right now. With no home, no job, and no family in Texas, well, her options were very limited.

Still, Maya checks her phone to see who exactly is calling.

This time it's Les calling from his cell phone. She figures next it will be Connor, then probably Riley. After that they'll all take turns calling her nonstop for a couple of hours instead of enjoying their presents. Never was this a ploy to get attention or detract from the holiday festivities, but it had turned into as much. The only people she could blame for it were Lucas and Lester, the two men who managed to put her in the most difficult and harrowing position of her life.

But Maya refuses to feel bad about any of it. Playing the victim and being the victim are two different things. She knew both roles well in her teenage years. So it was with confidence that she declared herself a victim of circumstance. None of this was her doing and instead of feeling bad for herself she just wanted to pick the pieces up and carry on.

Maya throws one thing after another into the boxes. Books, DVDs, pictures, folders, certificates, and everything else that could mean something to her just tossed in haphazardly. There was one large box that consisted of things that reminded her of Lucas. Anniversary gifts, holiday cards, notes left on the fridge…

Hours melt by and before she realizes it the sun is setting. As she walks around the apartment she sees that it's practically back to the bare bones. It no longer looks like a couple lives a busy life and meets back at home to remember what it is they were in love with in the beginning. It's just another box inside of a bigger box, waiting for someone else to make it a home.

On the matter of where to go, Maya is thinking she could go back to New York. On the other hand she's considered a roommate a couple times too. Regardless if she could find someone, she doesn't have much to offer up front. She needs another job before she can become anyone else's financial companion. The only real option that she has is, well, _Connor._

It isn't that Connor isn't a perfect option. He is her best friend, financially stable, and already willing to help her out. Unfortunately, a server opened her mouth about the way Connor looks at her and made an assumption about his feelings. Maya hasn't been able to address those comments and isn't sure she will ever be able to do so, but she has to remember that if she does turn to him for help that he'd offered it to Lucas and her as a unit previously. His intentions won't change if she's the only one that needs help. She has to be confident and sure in that respect if she accepts any of his kindness.

But an uneasy feeling inside leaves her feeling like she can't do that. If Lucas suspects Connor of being romantically interested in Maya, and after his comments that morning he certainly _did_ have those worries, then she won't be leaving much room to improve things with Lucas. At the end of the day she loves Lucas. In her heart she hopes they can find a way to meet again and make it work again.

Knocking rouses Maya from her slumber on the living room couch. She never did get the courage to sleep in the bed alone now that things are officially over. Shakily she shuffles to the front door and finds none other than Zay Babineaux. Her brows arch way up and she smiles with hesitation.

"You are the last person I expected to be at my front door today." Maya comments. Shifting the door open to invite him in is easy enough. Maya and Zay were the odd friends, the ones that never seemed to belong to the friend group. Many times Riley and Lucas were told that Maya and Zay were troublemakers, that they were spectacles as people. In that way they bonded, always defending the other. Maya never grew as close to him as the others but they were too similar not to get along.

Zay looks around, "It doesn't look like you were expecting company here ever again."

It's not wrong.

"Moving has a way of look like that, doesn't it? You probably know a thing or two about that." The comment is more a refection on how Zay moved around a bunch as a kid, and then a few times in New York. These days he likes to DJ throughout northern New York and makes a decent enough living. When he can afford it he travels – which just furthers her point. In the end he packs up and goes home, leaving another place behind to make new memories with someone else.

Zay explains that he got a strange call this morning that a young girl was in distress. It just so happened that he was already in the area visiting his family. Once he moved out, they moved back to be closer to his grandparents. So he periodically found himself in good ole Texas again.

"Turns out the distressed gal is also pregnant and has no place to go." Zay finishes.

Maya should have guessed that Lucas was going to make some calls, ask for some favors. He wasn't going to let her just walk out and have no plan. Even when he sucks he's the best. Part of her wants to run back to him but she knows it isn't for the best. This isn't an option, she reminds herself, because too much has happened too fast. Returning without taking a time out isn't going to make things better.

So she agrees silently to take Zay up on whatever offer he's about to extend.

* * *

R.I.P to my Outline that now means nothing to the story.

Please take a moment of silence to show respect for ideas that has passed on to the other side.


	8. Zay & the Girl

A/N: I hope you approve of my decision to bring in Zay! I'm (ashamed to admit that I'm) behind on the current season of GMW. I always feel like Zay is underdeveloped and left out a lot, so I decided on a whim to include him in this story. I think you guys will like it better. I'll leave a note at the end what the original plan was for this story.

* * *

Zay shrugged his shoulders at her, never having thought he'd be in a position to help another person. For as long as he could remember it was always Lucas bailing him out of trouble. Truthfully, it wasn't always troubles that he'd caused himself, but trouble followed Zay everywhere he went. His cowboy buddy made sure was never left to flounder.

And for that very reason he's offering to take care of Lucas' pregnant ex-girlfriend. Sure, he'd have to make some calls to get a job in Texas, but at the end of the day being a DJ was a flexible job. New York, Texas, California; wherever Zay's friends would need him he could be there. Making music and making people want to dance is universal. Besides, worst case scenario? He does some stand up comedy in some bars for side cash. Either way, Zay has learned to make money out of his strengths.

Right now, Lucas seemed to be hurting really bad over this whole fiasco so it meant that Zay had to pay his friend back tenfold. Aside from that, Zay always had a sweet spot for Maya Hart. It wasn't romantically motivated, but more like she was a sister. Maybe in some other alternate universe she might have been her older brother, maybe a twin. Maya had been Riley's Lucas in many ways, but like Lucas – even Maya Hart needs a saving grace. Today, that particular role falls on the shoulders of Zay Babineaux.

"So we can shack up with my grandparents, they got a decent size house – and most importantly there are two guest rooms. My parents got a storage unit that they only got half full, so there's space for this stuff. I'll make sure Lucas gets his crap out of here so you ain't gotta see his stupid face." Zay plays up the break up story a bit to see if she'll smile, and she does just for a moment. One broken kid to another, sometimes that dramatic humor makes it all feel kind of like it ain't even happening. Maya saunters over to hug him as he rattles on the rest of the action plan.

By the time Zay moves everything to his truck downstairs, Maya's finally reading through her missed messages, call log, and even listening to voice messages. As for Zay, he's looking at his only text from Lucas, which is telling him to take Maya to a small restaurant downtown that always cheers her up when she's having a rough time. The plan to is to apparently talk her into checking in there so that everyone will know where she is and with whom so they'll calm down.

"I'm thinking food is a good step two." The engine roars to life in a typical beater-car sort of way, but he can see Maya feels comfortable in it. He wonders if she'd grown used to it as Lucas' truck got older. Or perhaps she was just used the sound living in the country now. Regardless, she seems to hear him just fine.

"Food is the perfect step two." Calmly she slumps back in her chair and stairs at the window. Even though this is a favor and it's supposed to feel like work, Zay doesn't figure it's going to feel that way for him. He thinks that it's going to be some much needed self-discovery amongst friends. His heart is beating with an acute awareness that life is about to become much more interesting in the most important way.

* * *

Once inside the servers welcome them in their elf costumes with holiday aprons wrapped around their waists. These must be the gals who worked the late shift the night before, he thinks. Zay would normally make a crude comment about them, maybe even try to hook up with one after their shift, but he knows it's not the time to worry about that stuff. Besides, they might think it looks scummy since he's coming in with a girl who very clearly ain't his sister. Not his biological sister anyway, which makes a difference to a lot of people in a weird way.

"Take your pick of the tables, the rush doesn't really start until lunch time." Maya immediately speeds to a corner that she claims as the best view of the street. Zay sits opposite of her so the only view he sees is of her looking out the window. When the server shows up at the table Maya rattles of an order that she's clearly recited a million times. Zay tells the woman to bring him anything that's good. She offers to tell him the secret house special but Zay commits to the surprise. The girl gets a chuckle out of it before padding away to the kitchen, leaving Zay with Maya again.

They're going to eventually have to find something they can both talk about when it's just them. He won't be taking care of Maya _forever_ , but he'll take care of her as long as it takes – which could mean they have to live together for a while on their own. His grandparents won't let him stay in their guest rooms for an unlimited amount of time.

Everything stays quiet for a few minutes but soon Maya does pipe up and start sharing about the first time she came across this restaurant. It was one day while she was job-hunting while Lucas was at the ranch. She'd said she was going into town to grab some stuff but really she had two job interviews back-to-back. She had felt pretty crummy about both of them so she stopped for a 'pick-me-up' lunch. The food had been impressive and Maya found herself coming every few weeks as a treat to herself when thinks were feeling pretty bad.

"I've watched lives change from this booth. Servers have come and gone, some have stayed through the trials of poverty, and customers who were regular have grown into brand new people. That's why I feel safe here. I know that everyone I see here is going through something and that we're all enjoying a quick bite to eat because we can forget about those problems as a group." Listening to Maya reveal subtly that she's been feeling uneasy and on edge long enough to have a place where she goes by herself is unnerving. Silently Zay wonders if things weren't actually going south with Lucas and Maya for a lot longer than either of them were willing to admit. While he's running through all of the possible ways they may have been ignoring problems, Maya speaks up again; "Coming here reminds of me sitting on the subway in New York sometimes…"

Zay's heart stops immediately. He sees homesickness on her face. If Lucas could hear the words coming out of Maya's mouth right now he'd legitimately lose his mind. Just like his father, the poor guy had fallen into the same trap. It may not read the same on paper, but in the end it sounds like Maya Hart wants to go home.

Maya Hart misses New York.

"It doesn't matter where you are, I don't think, because the world looks the same through a window pane. Sure the weather is different, and the people look different, but they're all doing the same thing and feeling the same way." Even though Zay believes in the words he's saying, he knows it's not totally true. Living in Texas was very different from living in New York. Things weren't quite as racist as they used to be in the area, but damn if he wasn't worried that he'd experience more verbal hate on a daily basis now than he did in the big apple.

Maya chooses not to respond, but she also waves down a server and asks for a peach tea. Zay didn't want to press the matter or make it seem as though he wanted to force Maya to say she loves Texas as much as New York. Hearing her confirm what he knows would be Lucas' worst fear is certainly not on his agenda. Instead, he enjoys the silence for the time being. Everyone moves at their own pace, and letting this friendship progress naturally is probably his best bet at making things easier for his best friend and his somebody.

* * *

They stop at the storage unit first and pick which boxes to leave and which boxes to take back to the house. Zay hasn't had any serious relationships in his life, except when he dated Vanessa long distance, but even that that was a totally different dynamic and being with a girl in the same place for a long time. He didn't even have girls stay overnight at his loft up north. His lady guests, as he preferred to call them, were usually in and out. Sometimes they stayed an extra night, but even then they paid for their own food and cleaned their own clothes. It wasn't quite as involved as he could already tell this is going to be…

"Well I guess I just have to repack some of these boxes. It should only take like twenty minutes." Zay doesn't believe her for a second. An hour ago she'd said the same thing about the boxes of shoes she'd went through. Zay has been here now for three hours waiting as patiently as he could manage while Maya picked what parts of her life with Lucas could be brought forward with her without causing distress, and ultimately what would make her most comfortable during this "weird" time.

Of course, she means the pregnancy.

Maya hasn't said anything to him about the pregnancy so at this point he's not sure what to make of it. Hearing her describe it as weird doesn't sound as if she's totally put off to the idea of it, but Lucas had said she snapped at him when he called it a baby. Technically speaking, from science class he remembered the word that was 'most accurate' at this point was zygote. The only conclusion he can make is that she's hesitant to carry to term.

Zay knows he shouldn't but he decides to just ask anyway. It'll come up eventually, like when she needs a buddy to come with her to the ultrasound or when she needs a ride for the abortion procedure. One way or another he figures it'll be discussed, "So how long until you decide what to do with that bun in the oven?" With crossed arms he prepares for any sort of backlash he may be receiving.

Maya keeps packing with her blonde hair flying all around her face. She'd tied it up when they parked at the restaurant earlier but it was falling out now. Even though he's spoken to her blatantly she doesn't seem phased by it when he dares to glance in her direction. She shrugs her shoulders a few times but he cannot tell if its at the items she's reviewing or his question.

The silence returns as five and ten minutes tick by, text messages coming and going for a few different people. Riley asking what Maya's doing, Farkle asking what his action plan is to care for her financially, and Lucas offering to wire money into Zay's account for anything Maya. All in all, Zay starts feel like it's wrong having so many people acting like this girl can't care for her self in any way. This isn't the first roadblock Maya has hit and it won't be the last.

So he clicks his phone into sleep mode so that the text messages vibrate or ding when they come through. Best to ignore them for the rest of the night. Not long after he makes that choice it seems that Maya is finished with her tasks and starts pushing boxes closer to the truck to go back home with them – a total of about eight, mostly clothes, personal items like jewelry and fragrances, a variety of books, and some picture albums. Once they lock the storage unit she pivots on her heel and sighs.

"I have no idea what my plan is yet because on one hand I want to have this perfect life with Lucas and start a family, but on the other I kind of feel like I'm cheating this potential person out of a good life by not having everything in order first. That'll be a decision for another day, I suppose." Maya admits to have committed to the wait-and-see tactic. There were plenty of people who put their pregnancy decisions off until there was only one choice to make, and Zay wonders if Maya is playing it that way on purpose. Not making a decision is making a decision, only a little more cowardly – as far as he was concerned anyway.

Zay smacks a hand hard on her shoulder, "Well, you ain't gotta do it alone. I'm here to help you out as a friend. For now, your problems are my problems."

Maya laughs, "In that case, we both got job problems."

"Ain't it the truth?" Zay replies. They start loading the boxes back up and get ready to go back to his grandparent's house. Maybe they don't really know she's coming around just yet, but he'll call them on the way over. Maybe if he stops for some cherry cheesecake they won't even blink an eye. After all, moving in with no definite leave day isn't that big of a request at all? Right?

* * *

" _What do you mean you are moving in?"_ Zay is sure Maya can hear them complaining and yelling from her side of the vehicle.

"I mean, I'm trying to help out my friend right now. She ain't got a job, and I ain't got a new job yet, so we were just going to shack up for a few weeks in your extra rooms, Ma'am. We'll do all the cooking and cleaning for ya'll, I promise." They are more understanding when Zay offers to do things for them. For Zay, he hasn't even called to put in a resignation at his job in New York. He won't leave on bad terms, so he's not been able to tell Maya yet that he might be going back to New York for at least three weeks so that he's not totally without an income. He'll have to move his own stuff back to Texas too.

" _What about your job, boy? Why you giving up a good job to help out some girl down here? You ain't her daddy!"_ Maya gets a chuckle out the remark, confirming that she can absolutely hear 100% of the conversation. It takes a lot of blushing for it to be visible on Zay's face, but he's sure that his dark cheeks are fiery red right now. There was a better way to go about this whole mess.

"I'll go back and leave proper, Ma'am, but I gotta do this for Maya. She's a good kid and she's just got a bad hand right now. I work in music and that's universal. I'll be looking for jobs while I'm down here for vacation and then I'll stay up in New York 'til there's a gig down here. Besides, she'll be looking for something too. We aren't just coming to bum your rooms. We're just staying 'til we got it all in order." Zay feels as if he's talked forever. Perhaps it's the fact that they're been waiting in traffic at a stop light for two cycles now, but that's the problem with downtown traffic. He'll never know why his parents insisted on a storage unit on the edge of town, but for the size and price he really couldn't blame them either.

" _I don't like this at all, young man, but you all can stay here for now. You best take her to New York when you go back, though, 'cause I ain't have no strange girl living here when you are gone."_ On that note she hangs up the phone. Zay sits dumbfounded and embarrassed. He should have spoken with his nan before he committed to staying there. He's got the funds, so maybe there's an alternative plan…

So he offers to set Maya up in a hotel room until he can calm his grandparents down a bit. He knows that his nan and pop will come around and that they'll love Maya. The trick would be to make them like her enough that they don't ask him to bring he back to New York…

That would probably ruin any chances of Maya and Lucas making amends…

* * *

 _Author's Commentary:_

 _I originally intended to have Connor step up and sort of 'replace' Lucas in Maya's life. I chose not to do this because I feel like with Lucas feeling uneasy about Connor that this would end up "tasting bad." I didn't write it as a love triangle by any means - the intention was always that Lucas was caring for Maya from afar through Connor, but I am developing Connor very subtly as well with my previous remarks. We have remember in 'And Then There Was Us' that Connor had his own personal issues that was dealing with, although not quite as openly. I'll address that concept in a different manner now that I've brought Zay into the story._

 _I know that I'm inconsistently updating and that this is a sequel so it's popularity is already a bit down form the first installment. I know it's hard to read about characters who are so far out of their element that it really only targets a specific audience. I won't ask for reviews or feedback or recommendations, but I will ask that you be patient and understanding as I work through this story. There's a lot of growing up for Maya and Lucas to do, and my plan is to show how difficult and important it is not to recoil from change but to embrace it. Everyone goes through a period like this in their lives - where everything seems to be falling apart and going the wrong way - so I want to embody that and show people what life can look like through the eyes of characters that we love._


	9. Boy & Girl Meet Again

Someone nudges Lucas at the end of the lecture. He jerks up quickly and looks around the room. A familiar face of a boy from some labs they've worked on together smiles at him kindly. Lucas pulls his name together slowly…

C?

Clark?

Cellan?

Cameron?

"Thanks, Camden." Lucas mumbles, "I can't believe I'm struggling so badly."

Of course, at this point in time everyone is well aware that Lucas is going through a rough patch. It was recently made very public that his father is treating for late stage cancer. Many of the people close to the Friar family couldn't, and won't, stop talking about what a shock it all is…

Not long after that people noticed Lucas wasn't at all of his father's appointments, but instead Maya was attending them alone. Since they were never seen at the treatments together people questioned him. It forced Lucas to reveal they were currently broken-up. In spite of this, he did his best to assure they were taking a break only because of the demands of school and his father's medical condition. As of this morning, nobody seems to know Maya is pregnant. Zay does a good job of keeping that secret from most people.

"God is testing you, brother. I'll email the notes?" Camden is a really great guy. Every once in awhile people have been offering to shoot missed assignments and notes over to him. Lucas cannot be sure what he's done to deserve such kindness but he accepts it with humility.

"Thank you. I should throw a party after finals at this rate." Lucas remarks. Camden shrugs his shoulders and agrees that it might be a good idea. His classmate leaves promptly but Lucas lingers. Each class is agonizingly long when he knows his father is getting a treatment. Pulling his phone out to check the screen is quick and simple – most days.

But today is Valentine's Day. Every time he sees the date on his screen his heart sinks. Lucas doesn't know when women start to "show" that they are pregnant, but he assumes that Maya might have a tiny bump by now. Maybe he hopes that more than anything but he can't really ask about that stuff. The only thing she's willingly shared with him is that she's chosen not to get an abortion. Zay insists daily that it's because she still has hope that they can reunite before the baby is born.

Lucas releases the air he was holding all at once with disappointment. There are no messages waiting for him. It is unsurprising because his father likely is still receiving his treatment. With no classes remaining for the day it is his intention to go to the treatment facility and swap places with Maya. If he's lucky she will accept the card he bought this morning. There's money inside to help in whatever way she sees fit.

The drive over takes no time at all, even though it does take nearly forty minutes to arrive. His mind was racing, which is likely why he didn't notice the lapse of time. When he walks in he simply asks if he can go sit with his father, whom they all know immediately. Hesitation is apparent in their faces. Undoubtedly they've heard from his father, perhaps even Maya herself, the current situation.

"She brought someone to sit with her today." The aide tells him politely before opening the door of the lobby. Sitting next to Maya is Connor, not that he's surprised. Initially he kept his distance from her, unsure how things were going to play out between everyone. Eventually he did see that Maya was on good terms with Les, that he was asking her to be a part of his treatment. Then she decided to keep the baby, which means she'll be permanently tied to the Friars in some way. Connor now takes her out in his free time. At first it was to keep her out of Zay's grandparents' house. Now it's because she's been living with Zay and he sleeps during the day.

"Hey." For a moment everything feels normal. Connor and Maya smile at him, greeting Lucas casually. They even let him know that they've ordered pizza for dinner. Connor goes on to explain he will be leaving soon, anyway, for a group therapy session he's running. When the introductions pass things become abnormally silent.

During this time Maya retreats to her phone and Connor buries himself in folders from his briefcase. This leaves Lucas to do the only thing he can think to do: marvel at the three of them existing in one place at the same time. Rightfully, he should count himself lucky. He cannot resist the temptation to long for the way things used to be before they _grew up_.

Becoming an adult is not an option, though. Each and every person must grow up. This requires hard decisions. Going into the medical field was not an easy choice for Maya; Going to college after taking a couple of break years was not an easy choice. Even before that, it was not chosen simply and carelessly for Maya to join him on his winter vacation to visit his father. Nothing about their relationship was as easy as it seems in hindsight.

Isn't the saying that only hindsight is 20/20, or at least something to that effect?

The pizza arrives late and Connor has already left for his appointment. Maya offers to make Lucas' plate but he declines. It does not feel fair to have her all but hand feed him in the current circumstances. She even dares to apologize for not ordering his favorite breadsticks; "I did not realize that this was your short schedule day."

Lucas assures her there's no need to feel bad for not knowing his schedule. Awkwardly he reminds her that they aren't together and his schedule shouldn't be her top priority. Maya looks offended but she doesn't speak up any further on the matter. They carry on eating their pizza in silence.

At some point Maya asks about school, and Lucas lies. Nothing is more unnatural than lying to this woman in front of him. In high school she was the only person he could trust with the truth about his feelings. Now, he isn't sure who she is because they've been forced apart by the ambition to be stable?

Or was it the ambition to be more?

"What about you? How's the pregnancy going?" Asking sort of happens involuntarily, but he's been dying to know more. Maya does a great job of keeping it locked away from him, likely because she isn't sure he deserves to know. It is, after all, what is happening to her body. He is always reminding himself that he has no entitled to her body, and only has a say once the child is born what happens next.

Maya smiles and then stands up. There's naturalness to her expression that reminds him of the late nights they spent in her apartment in New York. Hours spent drowning in comedies and then racing to get homework done before going back to school, or work for her usually. Lucas is so engrossed in the memories that he almost misses her talking, while pulling her shirt up to expose her unchanged belly, "They say I'll show soon but for now all I'm just rock hard flabs."

She pokes her body towards him, urging him to touch but they're both laughing to hard. When they do regain their composure she puts herself down next to him. They don't sit too close, and they don't talk about anything personal, but they do maintain a more comfortable presence. Maya talks about stuff that Riley is doing in California with Derek, apparently quite a bit too. Then she shares about stuff Zay, how he's been talking about a bartender at the club he's working now. Lucas does more listening that talking, which is a complete reversal of the life they used to have, where Maya generally took in all the information he had to share.

Before he even realizes it, Les comes shambling out with his nurse. Looking as tired as he always does after these appointments, he immediately sits at a chair. No matter that he's been sitting for hours! For him, sitting in a chair without tubes, needles, and beeping machines is a good time. So once the nurse gives her run down to Maya the three of them just take a breather before getting Les into the car.

"Does an old man good to see his two favorite kids in the same place." Les jokes. Where most people would become depressed, well, Lucas has seen his father become more optimistic. He's also become more honest; "I was beginning to wonder whether I'd see you together again before I died."

Lucas tensed up and instinctively Maya threw a hand over his forearm. Immediately she took on the role of mediator, "We aren't together again but we want to do more of these visits together as a family. I'm part of the Friar Family, right? We should all be doing this together."

This was not something they had discussed but Lucas was not about to turn down the opportunity. If he could be a friend to Maya, even, that would be an improvement. Being friends with her put them on the right path again. So he nods along, "We just don't want to make this harder on you. Right now your treatment is all that matters."

Les grins at Maya, winking right along, and says with gusto, "Damn right!"

Idle chit chat about the upcoming appointments and scheduling shifts to ensure that Maya and Lucas could be with Les at each treatment ensues. In the end, Lucas offers to give everyone a ride back home in his truck. Maya declines at first, but Les insists she come back home to make breakfast for him in the morning.

"I miss your fruit pancakes. Think you could do that for me, sweetheart?" Maya kisses his cheek quickly and comfortably. Lucas can't stop staring as she promises to do whatever he asks of her because he may as well be her dad too. The three of them go with smiles on their face, and an air that feels good in Lucas' lungs.

* * *

Setting the table is second nature. Maya moves swiftly with fresh energy. She knows that Les won't be awake for several more hours, but after reading Lucas' card from Valentine's Day yesterday she couldn't lay back down. For all the turmoil that's surfaced, Lucas still vowed himself to her. He went on about the engagement ring, how when he bought that he chose not to love anyone else more than her. There was cash inside, which he instructed to be used on anything she wouldn't buy for herself. For this reason, she folded the cash up and went into her old bedroom where Lucas apparently left the ring. She tucked it under the foam confidently before she went to the kitchen this morning.

Being in the kitchen makes feel just so plainly at home. The Friar Ranch is still the closest thing to a stable home she's ever had, and certainly the most welcoming one too. In an odd way, she just belonged there. Little feelings just like this are the reason why Maya decided to have her baby. There is no way of knowing how things with Lucas will turn out, though they did stay up late and watch some television together because they couldn't get to sleep. It wasn't planned, though. Things sometimes just happen with Lucas Friar.

Lucas makes it to the kitchen first, just as Maya is starting the pancakes. She knows she won't be making any for Les until closer to noon. He sleeps in very late the day after he's had a treatment session. As such, she really only got up to cook specifically for Lucas before he goes to class. When he finally slinks his way downstairs he hops onto the counter, they way he usually did when she would be cleaning dishes, and just watches as she prepares breakfast.

"What classes do you have today?" Maya asks. She doesn't have his school schedule memorized, but she has seen Zay's desk calendar. He has a school schedule written on it that can belong to none other that Lucas Friar, so she has an idea of when he is usually at the school. He should have something going in an hour or so.

"None," He sighs, "I'm not going in today. Everyone needs a personal day." Lucas was never one to miss school. She doesn't know how to hide the surprise on her face so she doesn't. Actually, she applauds him with her astonishment clear in her features.

Lucas explains that he just wants one day of the week where he's not worrying about anything; "I'm graduating in a month anyway, right? What are they going to do if I skip one class?"

"Withhold your diploma!" Maya shouts playfully. It's true, that if they thought he was flaking out that they would withhold his diploma and make him retake his courses. Lucas would have a poor reputation if this happens.

"Boo-hoo," Lucas grumbles, "My dad has cancer."

Again, he surprises her. Maya never thought of Lucas in that light, even though she knew he could be selfish. Usually it was unknowingly, of course. Sometimes his love of helping other overpowered his awareness of his arrogance. He wanted to help other so much that he demanded more than others could handle for him. Maya concluded months ago after a particularly long night of crying that this is ultimately what drove them apart.

"Besides that, I can get you a doctor's note." Maya comments, wondering if she's incorporating him back into her life far too fast. The card made her very hopeful. Still, Lucas taught her that - sometimes - big risks are the most rewarding. For all the hell this relationship, or lack thereof, has been causing her lately she did know that she wouldn't be nearly as successful without Lucas Friar in her life.

So she extends the offer more clearly to him, "I have an ultrasound today. You're welcome to come if you would like."

Lucas shifts uneasily. Doubt fills the pores on Maya's face, contorting her face in an uncomfortable fashion. It mustn't be obvious because he doesn't try to comfort her. She keeps working the pan, and walks over to the table to plate Lucas' breakfast. He joins her just as she pours the pineapple syrup over the strawberry pancakes.

"Are you sure?" Lucas offers, "It's been months since we've done anything together. Is this how you want to spend your day – with me at your appointment?"

Maya shrugs, knowing that she really _is not_ sure whether this qualifies as a good idea. Things just seem to make more sense when Lucas is around, and life is easier. Her heart stops racing, air tastes sweeter, and her body simply relaxes. She's not realized how stressed she's been until Connor left her with Lucas alone at the doctor's office last night.

So she just tells him that they're going to have to get comfortable together again. When the baby is born they'll have to be around each other to take of him, or her, and that the only way to succeed in parenting is to do it together. They have to be on the same page and want the same things, which means they'll have to spend some time discussing what they should do with their child. It makes more sense to be friends, she explains, and that's all she wants to do right now.

"You've been my best friend for so long. If nothing else, I just want my best friend back." The tears fall before she knows they've even arrived. Breakfast becomes and afterthought as Lucas pulls her into his lap. Too much of Maya's days are spent crying, and she knows it's partially due to the sheer volume of hormones swirling around in her body with all of the changes. Adding to that, her current circumstances are less than ideal, which makes the emotional roller coaster of being pregnant far more dramatic.

They sit there for a long time; so long, in fact, that Lucas' pancakes go cold. He ends up taking them to the pigs they still have in the barn. Maya walks with him simply to apologize profusely for breaking down. It is moot because Lucas doesn't care. He cares about her and would rather her be honest than to lie.

"Then you should be honest with me," She laughs nervously, "I know you're falling apart at school."

Lucas scoffs, "Says who?"

"Connor calls your professors. He's a bit of a nut case, did you know that?" Revealing lazily that his friend has been extremely concerned about Lucas' mental state, due to Les continually complaining about his sloth-like behavior at home. So he's been checking up at the school with various students and professors to verify that Lucas is going to class. Maya supports these choices because she doesn't want to see him fail.

For hours the two of them speak openly about different issues they've been having as they spend their days apart. Maya doesn't regret the break-up and makes it clear that she does still need time away from him. She isn't sure she's come to terms with the problems that pushed her away from him, and she isn't sure he's figured out what he's doing wit himself either.

Lucas agrees, admitting out loud for the first time he claims, that they were too vested in their relationship as a whole; "We lost our identity as individuals, I think."

"Or maybe we became to vested in those individual identities."

Maya feels as though this is at least partially true for Lucas. He was no longer a boyfriend first, but a student. He was a student and volunteer, he was a rancher and farmer, and then when time allowed he was a boyfriend. It had been 'Lucas and Maya' for so long that he couldn't think of them as two units rather than one. He assumed they would just be together, she assessed, and that he stopped putting work into that too.

She knows she is guilty too, though, but in a different aspect. Financial security is inherently more valuable to her than it should be to anyone. It is a side effect of a poor childhood, and consequently always struggling to pay her own bills after emancipation. Many times, as she recalls to Lucas, she turned down spending ventures Lucas proposed to let loose because she'd rather pay off a bill they had outstanding.

"There's no one thing or one person to blame." Lucas declares, "We just lost it. We'll find it again."

Maya turns into him, wishing that she could just kiss him. This is not the right time, though. Even though she is glad Lucas didn't leave the possibility that maybe they won't get back together, she doesn't want him assuming that they'll get back together just because he's saying all the right things. Together they'll have to earn their relationship back – if they work hard enough.

"So, who's buying lunch?"

* * *

A/N: Firstly, thanks for being patient if you're still reading this - you have no idea the hell I'm going through in my personal life right now. Things are kind of just falling apart for me and whatever promises/goals/plans I make for writing just fall to the bottom of my priority list. Holidays on exacerbate the matters, but I know that I'm leaving my second job somewhere in the 6-9 week time frame. That will help me find time for all the fanfiction projects I'm doing - and continue with my original work. So please - I haven't forgotten about this story! I'm very interested in finishing it for all the people that wanted a sequel to it!

Secondly, I know that things feel messy with Lucas and Maya. I want you to know that I'm drawing from the personal experience of my own relationship. A year after I got married to my husband our relationship was shot. We waited four years to get married but so many things came to a point and we had to start over. If you've ever had a relationship with someone where it's been on-and-off, I think you'll kind of get why I've chosen this particular flow for Lucas and Maya.

Lastly, I hope you're enjoying the story. I'm doing my best to edit before posting - and I'm doing everything I can to get chapters up. I know I missed a November chapter, but maybe I'll be able to do another chapter this month to make up for that. I love you - do a review or a like if you have time! Otherwise, just knowing you're here means the world. Lucaya ftw xo


	10. The Boy Breaks

Maya is sitting on the porch with her legs crossed and her hands on her belly. For a month she's been spending half of her time at the ranch with Les. Since she has been unable to find a job – probably because she's pregnant, if she's honest – Maya uses her work experience to ensure that Les has the medical attention he needs. Lucas gives her what cash he can spare after pooling his money with his father's. Maya uses it to pay for prenatals and groceries, and any baby items that she needs…

All of which are currently stored in her old bedroom at the ranch. Lucas doesn't know this but Les is perfectly aware. They go shopping for the baby's furniture and clothes together when Lucas is in class. The trips have become a little more frequent since finding out that Maya is having a baby boy.

Right now Les is taking a nap, and she has been using the video monitor she purchased to keep an eye on him. The doctors say he is not improving, but he is not getting any better either, so it isn't the worst news they could be sharing. All the same, it could mean that Les is in a losing battle. As advance as his cancer is and his age working against him each day, and everyone silently wonders at the end of each appointment if the next is the one where they say that the treatment is making him too weak.

If the treatment becomes a hindrance to his ability to fight the cancer then all they can do it let the disease run its course in his body…

Lucas is not ready for this sort of news, and may never be…

Les, on the other hand, talks to Maya about it in depth when they're out and about running errands, taking walks. His number one speaking point is where he reminds Maya that he's rewritten his will to include her and the baby Friar growing in her belly. Even though she has decided to have her child there are days where she has trouble believing that it is true. Her stomach protrudes just slightly now, it is round enough to tell she's pregnant if she's wearing a tight shirt, but it doesn't feel very real yet. Les is the only one that talks about her future as a mother so plainly.

 _Bzzzzz._

The sound of her phone vibrating on the wooden planks captures her attention quickly, but she only glances down for a moment. She is not the mood for phone calls. This is her designated quiet time – which is perfectly aligned with Les' sleep schedule.

 _Bzzzzz._

When she looks down again she realizes it isn't a phone call but rather text messages sent back-to-back. Each of them from the same person: Lucas.

The first is to say that he aced his test, and the second saying that he is going to bring pizza back to the ranch for dinner – _so don't cook anything._ He tries to provide dinner at least three times a week so that Maya didn't have to be in constant motion. Lucas doesn't know about her quiet time, of course, and being selfish - she doesn't plan to tell him about it either.

Les sleeps for much longer than Maya anticipates so she eventually makes her way back inside the house after an hour, and really only because Lucas should be getting home soon. So she goes inside and sets the table with napkins and plates, laying out glasses and pulling a pitcher of lemonade to go with dinner. Once everything is set she decides to go check on the animals in the barns.

The walk is peaceful but halfway out she realizes she's left her phone on the kitchen counter. There is no real need for it so she just keeps going. The furthest barn from the house has the horses, which Connor tended to this morning so all she should need to do is check the feed when she visits. The barn just ahead of it has the cows and pigs.

Time moves differently on the ranch than everywhere else in the world – even New York. While Maya has been missing her hometown, she cannot separate herself from the joys of living in Texas. The weather is a perk, but not exactly what keeps her so enamored by the country living she's adopted since moving down south. It's the solitude, the dedication, and the carefree nature of everything around her that made it appealing. These things existed in New York when she lived there, but not in the same way. Maybe, she thinks to herself, it is because this is where she found her happiness. This is the place that made her whole.

"What's on your mind?" His voice disrupts her thought as she sloshes a bucket of water into the trough for the pigs. It was the last thing she planned to do before going back to the house, but Lucas standing in the doorway of the barn has her thinking she'll be delayed.

Maya sighs, "Just about how much I love being here."

"I love that you're here too." Lucas says, not missing a beat or blinking. His tone is soft and tired, the way she used to hear in Topanga's voice after a long night at the firm. It was as familiar as Cory's voice when it was the last hour of the school day and Riley wanted cash to go see a movie, or go bowling.

It was a voice that said: _I love you even though I'm too tired to love anything._

Or maybe it meant something else, but Maya didn't really care.

"Only six more weeks, right?" Maya questions as she replaces the bucket by the hose. She recalls the story of how Les had been the one to convince his father to run plumbing all the way out to the barns. Les was the youngest boy in his family for a long time, and for many years was the only one able to help at the ranch. He thought it was a waste of time not to have the plumbing because it meant raising water from a well or carrying buckets half a mile from the house to the barn half a dozen times. Maya smiles at the memory that was never hers to remember, glad that it was a part of the Friar history that she could share with Les and Lucas.

Lucas walks closer, "Six more weeks until the graduation ceremony. I only have five more weeks of school – and that's still an exaggeration since I only have one exam that final week." The competition for joy is fierce. Connor is proud beyond words to see Lucas finishing his college degree, especially when he wasn't doing so well. His father isn't proud but rather relieved – because he doesn't want Lucas to get too caught up in his accomplishments and miss out on the life he wants to live. Les doesn't want Lucas to have the split family that he did, so he puts a lot of emphasis on Lucas finding a simple job that lets him be a dad. As for Maya, she's been ready for him to finish this part of his life so that she can steal the space it takes up in his heart.

"When you graduate you should take me out on a date." Maya comments. She is flirting as obviously as possible so that there are no questions about how much she misses him. Things have been going well with him, but neither of them has discussed what they're going to do in five months when she's holed up in the hospital giving birth. It feels so far away to the both of them, she supposes, that they think they still have time to make amends.

Lucas slides a hand around her waist and tucks his fingers loosely into her pocket; "When I graduate I'd still like to marry you if you'd have me."

At least once a week Lucas makes sure to remind her that he is ready to be married. Maya doesn't usually acknowledge his comments, or when she does it is with a laugh. For a while she was unsure whether she would ever accept his offer – for fear he would find himself in some other compromising situation. Each day that passes fights that worry away.

Each day that passes – Lucas fights that worry away with his handsome smile, and his dreamy eyes, and his goofy laugh…

"Well, after you marry me, I want that date." Maya decides.

Lucas kisses the top of her head, the way he used to when she would spend a night crying about their finances or because she missed some big moment in Riley's life. Sometimes she was just crying because the show they were watching didn't do what she wanted it to do – which was sometimes as emotionally jarring as anything else. He was always there to remind her that she's okay. Maya wants to have that with Lucas again.

"The pizza is getting cold. We should go back inside." Lucas declares. Maya takes a step forward and offers her hand back to him shyly. These are the first small steps to becoming what they once were… She hopes.

* * *

He doesn't know how he manages it, but he coaxes Maya into staying up late with him. Lucas is keeping his excitement low-key so that she doesn't think he's up to anything more than just trying to spend time with her like they did in New York. Just sitting on the couch, watching some television, eating some cheap food, and talking about life.

Maya is hogging all of the breadsticks so Lucas makes a second trip to the kitchen where he found his dad pouring himself a glass of water. How did he manage that without Maya noticing? Lucas pushes himself a little faster up next to his father and takes his hand to steady it; "Why are you up out of bed again?"

"I drank all of my water." He laughs; "And Maya works hard enough taking care of me. I can handle a glass of water."

Lucas knows his father can still handle small tasks, but those tasks are harder than ever for him and it is impossible to sit back and let him do it all alone. Maya comes from a hospital setting, too, which means she's probably even quicker to step up and care for his father. Les isn't trying to stay strong for her, either, so he probably just lets her do it.

"I'm home tonight. I can help you out, dad." Lucas mutters cautiously. Gazing down at his father's frail state. He can't erase the image of his broken state, from his crinkling hands to his warping knees. Death doesn't seem too far away in moments like these and Lucas can feel his eyes watering; "At least let me get you back to your room."

Les agrees, and Lucas pulls his hand away from his father. One room away Maya is pregnant with the next Friar family addition while in this one his father withers away. In his gut – he can't help but feel that every day that brings the birth of his son closer is one step closer to losing his father.

 _Don't think like that,_ he commands, _your dad will see his first grandchild._ And just like that he walks just behind Les the whole way back to his bedroom. Once he is tucked back into his bed Lucas leaves hesitantly to rejoin Maya, who is smiling at one her favorite lines in whatever movie she's put on the screen in his absence, but she shifts that joy directly to him. Patting the cushion next to her, "What took you so long?"

Lucas doesn't complain about the movie even though he hates it, and he doesn't tell Maya that Les was out of bed. Instead he tells her he just wanted to make her miss him while he was gone. Per his expectation, she doesn't say that she missed him or that she didn't. No. Instead she cuddles up to him and grumbles something about wanting to go swimming.

Maya passes out shortly after this and Lucas is left playing a couple of different games on his phone until he's sure he can move without disturbing her. Shifting her is risky, especially since it's three flights of stairs that he would have to transcend in order to tuck her into a bed. He settles on fetching her covers from her room and sleeping on the floor next to her, just in case she wakes up confused.

Of course, he realizes, she's probably woken up alone many times over the last few months and survived. A horrible feeling settles in his gut. One question rings loud and clear in his head as he takes each step with precision: _What did I do wrong?_

Since December, Lucas has been spinning his wheels on this question. Sometimes he could cover it completely up with the mud of he everyday life. The gritty details that he prioritizes over the main issue – school schedule, work schedule, the ranch, and how can he escape the stress of those things? Before the break-up, Lucas can't remember the last time when he'd actively concerned about Maya's feelings and wellbeing. For so long they'd been together and taking care of one another – it was too easy to push her to side, in a way, wasn't it? Lucas became physically ill with self-loathing.

He _loves_ her.

How could he _ever_ let her become an afterthought?

Even now he was only able to split his attention so many ways. He put her at the top of his list when she was at the ranch – but when she wasn't? How often was he making it a point to swing by and visit her? Lucas will be attending all future pregnancy appointments, so he's going to be a regular cast member in the life movie she's living. But how regular is he really?

Lucas can't let his chance with Maya slip away. He tried so hard to convince her that this was a relationship worth having five years ago – he even enlisted the help of Connor to put their pieces together. To this day, Connor _still_ watches over them with a level of tedious dedication that is beyond admirable. Sometimes he believes Les must have been training Connor for a time when there would be no father to guide him.

Once he is standing outside of Maya's bedroom the world crashes around him. In one swoosh his body collapses on the floor. In spite of everything looking up for him – Maya staying at the ranch, spending more time with his father, Zay living back in Texas, and graduation only weeks away – Lucas is crumpled up in a ball crying into his knees.

Each sob releases a fraction of the stress that has been long building in his heart. It has been no secret to him that he has been changing over the years, but it was not evident until this minute that he is no longer the child he thought he was all this time. Twenty-three years young – but old enough to start a family and be the man he swore to himself he would always become when it was his turn.

There's no time like the present, he supposes. It doesn't comfort him enough to stop him from crying. Lucas has to rein his mind in if he wants to go back downstairs.

"What are you doing up here?"

When he wipes his face as dry as he can, he looks up to see Maya standing a few steps down yawning. He must not have moved as swiftly as he thought he did because Maya woke up anyway. For a second he scorns himself for being incapable of every little thing.

Maya climbs up and immediately sits down to scoot up next to him; "Huh? What are you doing up here?"

Lucas cannot hold it together, even for her, and begins bawling again. She must have known because she's wrapping her arms around him just as quickly. Tiny arms somehow keep his thoughts of self-doubt from protruding his mind any further. Crying now alleviates the bulk of this pain he's been keeping bottled up and tucked so deep even he forgot about it.

Maya shushes him calmly until he is too exhausted to continue. She tells him to just sleep in her room for the night, so she can keep him company. Maya tucks him in, makes sure the glass of water is on his side of the bed, and then stays sitting up in bed until he closes his eyes in defeat.

* * *

A/N: So I shouldn't make any promises about the frequency of posting. I've put this fanfiction on an "indefinite hiatus" status because it's been something like three months since I was able to update it, and things never move the way I expect them to in my life. I'm taking an online class to improve my writing and I have so many original projects I'm trying to work on as well. Soccer season is back in flux so that will take much of my free time, too.  
I promise to post when I can give the story what it deserves. I would rather not post for months than to give any remaining readers a subpar chapter. I have only ever quit one other fanfiction because I couldn't give it the love and attention it deserves, that the readers deserved. I still have a story to tell here, but I'm just so darn slow at doing it. Every time I work on it something about my end game changes. I really want it to feel organic - so I am trying to draw inspiration from my own relationship, from what my friends are going through, and ultimately trying to teach readers the struggles of growing up in love with someone.  
If you're still reading - thank you for staying and waiting. You're a better person than I, and I appreciate it beyond the words on this screen. XoXo


	11. Mrs Boy

The thunderstorm wakes Lucas up. When he sits up in bed he finds that Maya is already gone from the room but that isn't what captures his attention. No, instead it is the stack of boxes in one corner of the room and the laundry basket in the other filled with brand new baby clothes. His heart races as he begins wondering who did all this shopping with her; did _anyone_ do this shopping with her?

Someone had to help her carry this stuff upstairs. There's a crib, a playpen, a basinet, and a swing. Someone _had_ to have known about this…

Lucas cannot find it in himself to be angry, though. Last night he was so upset about being left out of Maya's life that when he woke today he made a promise. Nothing else is happening _to_ Lucas – Lucas is _making_ things happen.

There are times that people remember their movement as faster than the speed of light – a moment where they felt so pumped full of adrenaline that they felt superhuman. Lucas swears as he flies down the stairs that this hour – this _minute_ – will be that memory for him. He cannot make it to Maya fast enough.

And she's exactly where he expects her to be this early, before Les crawls from bed to shower for the day. She is rocking in the swing with her headphones in and her thermos with raspberry tea. Maya told him recently that she's been craving raspberry tea for weeks, even before her appetite grew.

"Maya!" He shouts, even though he knows he doesn't have to – maybe it's the storm that has him feeling like he needs to yell? Maya pulls her headphones out with a look on her face that warns him not to wake his father too early. He needs all the rest he can get right now, and his schedule is befitting of his circumstances. Lucas doesn't care so much about it even if he should.

As soon as she puts her feet on the wood of the porch he moves closer, and closer, and closer until he can kneel down and look her square in the eyes; "What did you come down to shout about this early in the morning?"

"Maya…" He trails, only just becoming aware of the nervousness in the back of his mind. All people feel this way, right? Lucas shakes his head and laughs the question out, the only way he really ever was going to with his best friend; "I want to marry you. Do you want to marry me?"

Maya lurches forward with confusion thick in her brows; "I mean, there was never a plan to _not_ marry you."

And he trusts that there wasn't when she says this, which gives him to confidence to make his proposal quite clear; "Will you marry me today?"

This takes her by surprise.

"You mean _today_ today?" Maya gets each word and syllable out clearly, but not without a shakiness to her tone. A shred of doubt must be welling in her gut, but she softens her expression when she sees that Lucas is very serious.

And he assures her verbally just to be certain; "We can drive into town right now, get to the courthouse as soon as it opens. We can have a dinner with the family next week when dad only has two appointments, and you can move back here full-time. We can get you on the insurance plan before the baby is born…"

Maya halts him with a soft kiss…

…That turns into a deeper kiss…

…which turns in Lucas picking her up…and carrying her into the house…

And well, these things generally only go one way. Lucas wasn't planning for it, but he was craving that high level of intimacy with Maya again. Also, considering she is obviously accepting his proposal, it is the happiest moment of his life.

At least for now.

His heart was beating with the possibility of new 'happiest moment of his life' stories to come.

* * *

Getting married at a courthouse is somehow exactly what she was expecting, and also nothing at all what she thinking it would be. In her heart, Maya always suspected she wouldn't have a fancy ceremony. Growing up poorer than dirt, getting her basic needs from her best friend's family, and then having to take care of herself at sixteen years young – Maya was never expecting anything brilliant from her life. She was destined to be only slightly better than her mother.

At least that's what she thought.

Years ago, she never would have believed that Lucas would eventually break things off with Riley. She never would have believed she would choose to be a mother. There's so much about her life that is so different than what she was expecting. And yet, nothing feels more right than standing next to Lucas Friar, almost six months pregnant, with nothing but struggle ahead of her. Life is really special in that way.

"Do you Maya Hart…" She hears, and repeats, and waits.

And she waits,

And she waits,

And she waits,

Until those words are spoken – "You may kiss the bride."

Of course, this wasn't mandatory for the judge to say – but he's an old friend of a friend who knows about Lester Friar's situation – the cancer, the failing ranch, and Lucas having to move back home. He looked almost as smug and pleased as Les would have, were he here. Thankfully the clerk _also_ knows Les and was willing to take some pictures with Maya's phone.

After that everything is less romantic. Copies of papers, filling out forms, and making calls on the way back to the ranch – in the pouring rain – but that's just part of life. Maya didn't care about the fact that none of this was perfect for a storybook. All she cared about is that even if things aren't exactly where she wanted them to be with Lucas again – _something just felt right about it._ In her heart she knew there was absolutely no other option.

Whether it is five months from now, five years from now, _five decades from now_ – she was _always_ going to end up marrying Lucas Friar. There was never going to be another ending for her. Lucas obviously felt the same way. That's why they're sitting in the truck with a form _officially_ making her Mrs. Maya Friar.

Once they park as close to the house as possible, Lucas insists on carrying Maya through the door per tradition. She laughs about it, and asks him to not, but he scoops her out of the truck regardless and whisks her into the house. Once inside they're both laughing so hard they collapse on the floor.

"I was wondering where you two went." Les grumbles over their joy. Lucas is the one that gets up first, Maya still getting used to the tiny bump on the front of her body. Once she joins the men standing a bit further up the hallway she lets Lucas deliver the news.

"I had to take care of something right away this morning. It couldn't wait." Lucas' eyes are stuck on Maya. She shifts her gaze from father to son to the floor, sneaking glances at the future grandchild of the family, and then back again. When his father doesn't speak that is when Lucas reveals what they've done; "Had to run to the courthouse."

Maya lifts her hand, revealing the ring that Lucas had given her on Christmas Eve. Before they left Maya pulled it out and handed it over to Lucas. It was just a final layer of confirmation that she was ready for this step. Les gets the cutest grin on his face and leans in to hug Maya before his own son. She doesn't mind and Lucas doesn't seem to care either.

With a level head, he's the Lucas that she fell in love with years ago.

And even when he is a little off balance, well, she loves him just the same. After all, she still waited for him to figure himself out while she faced the struggles of being single and pregnant. Even with Zay helping out, he wasn't much of a roomie. They are rarely ever home at the same time, and when they are - Zay is generally asking Maya what chores he can do to keep himself busy.

Zay will be ecstatic to hear that Maya and Lucas worked things out. Her only worry is that he will go back to New York the first chance he got, leaving Lucas with just Connor again. That wouldn't be a problem, though, but she really likes how playful Lucas gets when Zay is around.

"What a happy surprise!" Les sighs when he finally starts scooting back to the kitchen, "But I can't be too happy without my breakfast. I was craving some fried ham…"

Business as usual, Maya smiles, but now it is legitimately _family_ business.

* * *

Maya and Lucas are sitting in bed while Les takes his afternoon nap with everything half unpackaged around the room. Each of them has their phone out with their relationship status pulled up. With their arms linked they agree to submit the status change together. Maya starts counting, "One, two…"

Lucas steals a kiss right before she says, "Three."

As soon as the change has been submitted they shut their phones off. Inevitably there will be hundreds of comments, notifications, and digital stickers coming their way. Even though their problems haven't been very public, everyone knew, they way everyone seems to know everything. The world works in such odd ways. Today all Lucas and Maya want to focus on is putting this room together. It is much bigger so this is where they'll be staying with the baby, they decided this morning over breakfast, and this is where they'll bond by setting up a nursery corner and converting Lucas' old room to a playroom.

That was his idea, too, which impressed Maya immediately. It is hard listening to her share all the things she's been doing without him, but she insists it wasn't as inde[endent as he thinks. She explains that Les has been leaving the baby magazines around the house to see if he was interested in any furniture in particular; "It was never at the forefront of my mind but Les knew exactly how to keep you involved without you knowing."

Sure enough, the crib is one that he had commented on when he saw it circled on a flier over a month ago. He was impressed attached changing station and the correlating storage. Even now he is happy thinking about late nights where he'll have to change a few diapers, but he won't have to travel to a different station or room. No, it'll be right there; "That is exactly why I liked it too."

As for clothes, each outfit is a perfect blend of Lucas and Maya's personalities. Some of the outfits say "Future Rancher" and "Future Cowboy." Others say "I'm not Messy, I'm and Artist" and "Mommy's Masterpiece." There are some that his dad clearly picked out with pictures of the Dallas Cowboys logo and some with just a picture of a cow.

One thing that Lucas notices is that most everything decorative for the baby is orange. Maya's favorite color has always been green as far as he knew. He inquires about this detail and she grins as innocently as one would expect given the answer she provides; "It's your dad's favorite color."

For a moment, Lucas forgets about the doom of change looming over his head. Hearing the simple reality of Maya's color choice is humbling. In every way imaginable, she's made it a point to make everyone a part of this baby's life. It gets Lucas curious, how else did she incorporate the people that she loves?

For Riley she's framed a purple cat painting from middle school, as well as a purple cat stuffed animal to sit in the crib with the baby; "Fortunately purple and orange compliment each other," Maya jokes.

For Farkle there's a series of Baby Einstein books sitting in her closet, ready to the be the first in the library she's building to honor Smackle – who made Maya promise to give her child every opportunity to learn and grow into the face of another technological revolution. It was a little intense, but Maya portrays Smackle's passion with glistening perfection.

For Josh Matthews she has a tee that reads: "I love my Uncle Josh" on the front. Lucas feels a pang in his chest from the years he watched her head-over-heels for him. It has been a long time since she'd so much as flirted with him in the comments of one of her pictures, but Lucas knows he can let it go. Josh has been with someone happily for years and Maya is married to him now. There's no way she'll ever be a Matthews. So he gives her a thumbs-up and lets her continue on and on with all the honors.

Some of the items are just silly things to remember her job at the hospital, Lucas' college experience, New York, and the apartment they used to share. She has an outfit with a cancer awareness ribbon on the bottom of pants – for Les. His mother's presence is in the playroom with a pretend garden, since she's super health conscious. Zay is honored with a toy as well – a 'My First Turntable' set that won't be used for years. Of course, Lucas knows it's the thought that counts. Besides, he doesn't see Zay leaving that business anytime soon.

The most touching of all, though, is Connor's token. The items are still wrapped in plastic from ordering online, but it is clear exactly what Maya was intending to do; "I haven't talked about it with anyone yet but I was banking on you agreeing with this decision…"

"Absolutely." Lucas breathes. Connor has always been there for Maya, he's always been there for Lucas, and he knows that Connor will always be there for their son; "He is going to breakdown when we ask."

"I mean, I am kind of hoping he will be overjoyed but I am not aiming for full mental breakdown. That does not sound very becoming of a psychologist…" Maya remarks with soft sarcasm. Lucas grabs her by the belt loop of her shorts and brings her to his lap on the bed. Even though they've not accomplished anything for nearly an hour, Lucas thinks everything can wait just a few more minutes.

"I love you, Mrs. Friar."

"And I love you, Mr. Hart."

* * *

A/N: I have the next chapter written. I'm hoping to edit and post that chapter tomorrow. I've had this week off of work so I've been able to get a lot done, but I don't know confidently after the next chapter when I'll have an update for you. I have a lot of work I need to do for work that will probably take the majority of the day Friday to accomplish - and then I work with a friend on an online writing class Friday night. Saturday I may be able to swing another chapter to edge closer to the end of this fanfiction. I want to have it completed by the end of the month because it's been looming over me, insulting my inability to maintain a writing schedule.

I'll try me best but I'm super busy the rest of this week and it's not going to get easier from here to find writing time. I'll do my best to post and finish this story out for anyone still reading. Your readership, as always, is greatly appreciated.


	12. Boy & The Two Hospitals

Time moves fluidly after Maya and Lucas are married. Days blend together as well as watercolor paints. They spend all of their free time tending to the ranch with Connor, who is also practically living at the ranch with the Friars. After Maya and Lucas asked him to the godfather of their child he has made a point of being more invested in the time he is spending at the ranch. There are least one or two days a week he comes to do his chores and then goes off to his day job without saying a word to anyone. Now he leaves gifts, makes meals, and stays overnight working in Les' old office.

As for Les, the doctors keep reporting no change in his health. In fact, everything seems to stay exactly the same except for Maya's stomach, which pokes out a little more each week. Now that she's eight months pregnant, Lucas can't remember a time when she wasn't just a small ball of paint stains with a lopsided ponytail.

"Are you ready to go?" Maya calls out to the Lucas. He turns the garden hose off and rushes inside to change his shoes. They have an ultrasound today as well as lunch plans with his mother, who flew in yesterday to help with Les now that Maya has been unable to some of the more tedious tasks. It is weird having so many people staying at the ranch but it feels familiar. This is how it used to be when he was a child. Person after person visiting and helping around the house, staying overnight and having a good time – he hopes to share the same excitement when it's just Lucas and Maya living there.

The fate of the ranch is undetermined, though. In just a week Lucas is selling all of the large livestock to cover his father's medical bills and to prepare for the cost of Maya giving birth. He let the last few guys working around the ranch go now that it will be easier to manage with just Lucas and Connor. The business of it all weighs heavy on his heart. It has been so taxing that Lucas has turned down a couple of job offers at veterinary clinics. His work ethic has been admirable to most everyone around him, even if he feels he does not deserve the envy, and as such he is generally in high demand. Taking care of these things is emotionally taxing…

As such – he is always really thankful for these days when he gets to spend the afternoon with Maya discussing their son.

Their nameless son…

"Are you ready to go see how gigantic this human inside of me is now?" Maya grumbles, though not with any real sense of disdain or disgust. She's grown quite fond of being pregnant. Most people do not know what to make of this information since Maya was never perceived as the maternal sort. The only person who is enamored by his wife's enjoyment in expecting is Riley Matthews.

And there'd be nobody else to better judge than Riley, would there?

Lucas takes Maya's hand, "We have to name this human – like – soon, Maya. Have you picked _any_ names yet?"

This is a stupid question because she goes on and on and on and on about all of the names that she just adores – names that she cannot possibly choose from _right now_. She stresses Lucas out by being stressed out about the name. And he stresses her out about the name because he is stressed that there's no name for their little person.

"We could just call him Lucas the Second and be done with it." He suggests lazily. He makes this suggestion whenever he wants to push her into making a decision. It hasn't helped before and it doesn't seem help now either. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over hoping for a new outcome. Lucas Friar accepts the label with ease.

"Yeah and when we have a daughter we'll call _her_ Maya the Second, and it will be weird as hell for pretty much everyone." Maya snaps, and angrily, but not aggressively. She has put a lot of power behind the name of this child. Lucas is almost convinced, too, that this name is going to make-or-break this little boy's life. It is not even slightly true but he is _so_ close to actually believing it that he's scared of himself. He's supposed to be a dad, a leader for this child, and he's buying into something so petty and miniscule.

So he just decides on the spot. He picks a random set of names and throws them together, "Peyton Uriah Friar." Lucas always heard the name Peyton around the house, especially during football season. As for Uriah, there's a bible verse on his father's calendar in the office that has the name on it. For some reason those names are standing out in his mind right now. As he says these names together, too, he feels in his heart that they were meant to belong to his son.

As for Maya? She throws her head back in a way that he cannot read clearly. There are hints of confusion, disgust, surprise, and even relief. She whispers it in his direction with a scrunched up nose, the way she does when she tries new foods, "Peyton Uriah Friar?"

"That's our child's name. Take it or leave, short stack."

Maya scoffs with a smile, "Watch your tone, Sundance, or you'll find yourself in a whole mess of trouble."

"Didn't you know – 'Trouble' is my middle name." This game goes both ways.

"Fine." She remarks plainly.

"Fine?" Lucas questions. Is she saying fine to the name?

"Fine. Our son's name is going to be Peyton Uriah Friar." Maya giggles. And then chuckles. And then laughs. And now she's leaning forward holding her hands to her stomach while tears stream down her face with pure amusement, "We will name our son Peyton Uriah Frair and his nickname will be Puf!"

Lucas slams a hand to his face repeatedly. How did he manage to come up with seemingly random set of names with such a silly set of initials? Beyond that, how did it end up being so perfect? Maya spends most of the ride to the hospital making fun of their child's initials and nickname – before he's even born, no less!

* * *

Maya knows immediately that something is wrong when the technician says she's going to get the doctor; "Why?" She demands coolly. The technician knows Maya from her time at the hospital, so she knows there is no hiding from the truth. It is clear Maya understands that there's something concerning about the baby.

Lucas has to use every bit of his strength to keep her on the table and calm. He whispers to her about their baby Puf and how Riley is flying in next week with Derek to visit for a few weeks over the summer. As he's getting ready to tell her how excited he is for her to finish the mural in Puf's playroom his phone starts ringing.

"You're not supposed to have that on!" She exclaims, a squeak of sheer panic in her voice. Seconds later he declares it is just Connor, probably confirming dinner plans. He ignores the call and puts the phone back in his pocket – this is more important right now. When Connor calls again he smacks the side button and sends him directly to voicemail – and then places his phone into Maya's purse on the counter. The doctor comes in just as Lucas returns to Maya's side.

"You don't need to be worried about a thing." The doctor says, "Rachel was just telling me that it looks like we have a couple of issues that I know we can fix up pretty easily for you." Maya seems to relax when the doctor shows no signs of urgency when he's rolling his tools back over her belly.

Lucas tries to listen but his phone is buzzing nonstop in the purse and everyone can hear it. Rachel insists that Lucas step out to take the call but he doesn't want to miss anything that the doctor is telling Maya. When he is able to refocus he hears her telling him, "How long can we wait on the operation?"

Lucas didn't hear anything about a surgery or an operation. Did they say anything about it before just now? Was he that focused on the phone ringing? The doctor keeps going on as if Lucas isn't panicking; "Your little boy is healthy enough that if we got you in today we shouldn't need to keep you longer than three days. You're healthy, baby is healthy – should be an easy birth all things considered. We see this more often than you think, so I'm not concerned about anything if we get this cesarean schedule today."

Maya is nodding, "Do you _have_ time available today for the C-section then? If you're confident that the baby will be fine delivering today then we should just do it today to avoid any other complications." She agrees with the surgery far more easily than Lucas. Well, he isn't exactly agreeing with anything because he cannot get his thoughts straight.

His head is spinning around on itself. They didn't bring the overnight bag. He has so much happening with the ranch; Connor's vacation doesn't start for two more weeks. The only person at home to help his dad is his mom, who was out to brunch this morning with old friends. What is he going to do? Lucas takes a breath and feels Maya squeezing his hand.

"He is going to have us move to the maternity ward. Can you call Connor and have him bring the bags after work so that you don't have to leave? I'll call Riley and see if she can get an earlier flight." Maya is as calm as can be and Lucas envies her for it. Even if she was a bit of a mess not ten minutes ago she's come back together so well. He cannot identify just one thing that has prepared her for this day. Well, maybe not _this_ specific day, but for this moment. In a matter of hours she's going to be a mother. He's going to be a father. Their lives will be forever changed by the fact that their little boy, Peyton Uriah Friar, is going to be real and in their arms.

Maya nods toward the counter, "Puf and I are just fine."

Lucas' phone is buzzing again.

* * *

Lucas doesn't know how to best comprehend what is happening, what he is _hearing_. Connor says an ambulance is on the way, that Les isn't responsive. His breathing is labored; nobody was home when he got there, so he doesn't know how long Les was this way; "It doesn't look good. I'm scared that he's dying."

Connor is crying, almost uncontrollably. Lucas is unsure how he's even making sentences that are intelligible. On the other side of the wall is his wife. His wife whom is preparing for a surgery to birth his _son_ ; and on the other end of his phone is his best friend saying his father might be _dying_.

"No, no, it's going to be okay. Carry him, if you can, to the living room. The EMTs should be able to get a stretcher through the hallway pretty easily. As soon as you know the hospital he is going to please let me know." Lucas is doing what he can to keep everything together. A fire burns in his veins, and it is eating his composure at an atomic level. Still, his voice is steady; "I have to get Maya situated in her room. She has to have a cesarean."

Connor mutters into the phone and Lucas assumes it means he will call with an update. For now, his hands are tied. Lucas has as much obligation to Maya as his father. As soon as he clicks his phone to lock it he turns his attention back to his present situation. When Maya emerges from the room with Rachel right behind she is smiling; "Great news!"

She starts pouring over the details of her conversation with Riley. She was able to find a flight that had tickets for a flight in tomorrow, and that she'll just come ahead of Derek to mitigate the additional expenses. Lucas has to decide if she needs to know about Les right now. Will it be easier to keep her in the dark until she was set up in her room? Will be easier to let her have the surgery first? When is a good time to tell her that while she's about to experience one of the greatest parts of her life – and one of the worst things in her life…

Again?

Maya lost her mother already.

"Are you okay?" Maya finally asks, seeing that he's been zoning out while she talks. He doesn't even recall getting into the elevator. It is just the two of them and she lets concern etch into her features. Lucas doesn't know what he should say to her, so he stays silent and shrugs; "Are you nervous?"

"No." Lucas replies. He fakes a smile but she sees through it.

"Who called you?" She turns her body to him, investing in the secret he's keeping. She can easily grab his phone. The call log will reveal his missed calls are from Connor. She'll know that Connor wouldn't call that many times unless it was an emergency. Everything would be revealed so easily to her.

So Lucas just shakes his head; "I need to focus on this right now. I need to focus on _you_ and _him._ " He point to her belly, with only half as much enthusiasm as he should, and he scoots away from her so he can lean on the wall of the elevator. Maya doesn't show any plans to press him too hard.

In fact, she doesn't press at all. She just unlocks her phone and she dials a number that can only belong to one person; "You can tell me or he can tell me."

Lucas lets her call.

Maya stares him down while Connor explains, just as frantically as before, the state that Les is in – he's following behind the ambulance now. He wasn't allowed to ride because he's not family. Maya is nodding along, perfectly calm, and once Connor tells Maya that he's pretty sure they're going to the same hospital; "It's about two miles closer."

Maya shakes her head; "The traffic makes travel time longer. They'll check him in at Saints and transfer him once he's stable."

Lucas keeps his head hanging low. Shame consumes him but he does not chime in on the matter. She coolly asks Connor to give them updates as often as he can whenever he can, and that Maya will speak with her doctor once she reaches her room. Once she hangs up she crosses her arms at him but she does not yell.

"You need to go the Saints ER. Connor will come here and sit until thirty minutes before my surgery. At that time you two will switch places. Are these terms suitable for you, Mr. Friar?" When she uses this tone of voice she means business. There is really no negotiating with her, but for Lucas there's no agreeing.

Absolutely no winning, either.

"I don't find any of these terms suitable." His voice is gruff. Tears are threatening to break him down.

"Your second option is to stay with your father and then I could probably convince Connor to video chat the surgery so you can be with your dad _and_ see the birth of our little puff." Lucas is shaking his head, then nodding his head, and then squeezing his head between his hands. For nearly a year his life has been a roller coast of extreme highs and extreme lows. Occasionally he's been able to trick himself into believing that it's all fine, that the more he acknowledges the way his life will be different makes him impervious to the damage it wreaks along the way.

Maya's hands reach out to him to provide the only comfort left to find in the world, at least as it exists presently. The warmth is encompassing. It gives him strength to lift his gaze to meet hers, and she pointedly tells him the options again. He _must_ choose or she will choose for him.

"I can't choose." Lucas deflates his fears unto her.

"You only have one father, Lucas Friar." Maya states.

* * *

A/N: So what do you think? What kind of predictions do you have? I am curious where you think I'm going to take this...


	13. A Hard-knock Life for Boy

His father comes in and out of consciousness. They say there's fluid build up in his lungs; "This is not uncommon," they assure him each time they swing into the room. Lucas doesn't want to hear the phrase again. The only comfort he has as he watches his father's vitals dip every few hours is that Maya asked the doctor to put her operation off until tomorrow afternoon. Half a day won't make a huge difference for Maya and Puf.

Connor sends hourly updates to help relieve the pain of his father just lying in a bed hooked up to wires. They aren't even the ones that he needs to beat the cancer. These aren't for radiation or chemotherapy. These aren't simple heart monitors. All of the machines whir in the background as they track every detail of his father's health.

Just as Lucas starts to doze off he hears his father coughing. It keeps going so he stands; "Dad?"

"Lucas?" He gurgles between his fits. He repeats it as he regains some level of control; "Lucas?"

"I'm here. Let me get a water for you." Without a second thought he's at the sink in the bathroom with a paper cup. Filling it halfway seems safe, so once the water is done dripping he carefully returns to his father's side.

"Where is Maya?" Of course he would ask that question. Lucas pushes the cup to his lips. It is forceful but he wants his dad to clear his throat with some liquid. Aside from the moisture, it will give him some cool relief from the scratchiness he's likely to feel after coughing so hard.

While his father drinks he explains that Maya is at another hospital waiting for a cesarean. Pain is evident on his face, but not because of his own medical woes. The hurt is for Maya, for the baby, for _Lucas_. He shakes his head at his father sternly; "We are waiting for your doctor to call for a transfer. Right now they are waiting for the MRI results. Your doctor requested it be done before he gets here. He is on his way right now. There was a family reunion out of town this weekend."

Les nods plainly. Only a moment after that a nurse enters the room to do her routine checks. Pulse, heart rate, pain level, verify medications and to offer assistance with the bathroom. Everything is stable at this time, virtually no change from the last check; "This is good."

Her voice is sincere but her face is not nearly as comforting. Les comments that she's not as welcoming as Maya. Then he says he wishes Maya were here so he could talk to her. Lucas suggests calling her at the hospital but he turns it down. He doesn't want to risk waking her if she's sleeping.

"After tomorrow you won't have a full night of sleep for a couple of years. You won't sleep alone either." Even though the thought is daunting, and perhaps exaggerated, but his eyes are glistening with undiluted joy. Lucas has to be confident that his father is going to pull through this episode. If he believes this is nothing serious, nothing that can destroy what is left of his father, then he can share that mental might with his father. Spiritual healing, right? Lucas have to believe that being confident is going to help cure his father…

…Of this…

…Of the cancer…

They settle back into their places easily, Les slipping in and out of sleep again. Sometimes he makes a remark about being hungry or thirsty. He drifts away almost as soon as the words have passed his drying lips. Two more checks come and go before his oncologist comes in to pull Lucas aside. The thudding of his boots against the floor match the beating of his heart.

"Lucas, how's your wife?" For a brief second he is pulled away from his fear for his father. Happiness washes away from of his nerves at the truth of Maya being his wife. His own Mrs. Friar. Smiling through the deepening worry, he shares that Maya is due for a cesarean in just nine hours.

The common comments about his obvious excitement come out as generic as one might expect. All of the chit chat is a rouse, Lucas figures, for whatever he's about to say to him; "As you know, Lester had an MRI scheduled for next week anyway, so I ordered the treating staff to get one while he is here." His father was complaining of migraines for a few weeks now, so Maya told the doctor. He said he would check it out just to be sure.

Lucas nods along. The doctor pulls out a couple of large images from the envelope he's been holding. One image is on the bottom and the other is soon pressing against the white wall of the hospital hallway. Immediately Lucas can tell there's something wrong.

He's even able to identify it; "Why is there as mass on the left side of his brain?"

The doctor turns his body directly to Lucas; "In some instances cancer spreads during treatment. I am recommending a biopsy to be sure. Until we have those results, I'm afraid we have to keep him here." For months, _months_ , Lucas Friar has had moment after moment where time is altered. The movement and passage of it changes almost deliberately to destroy his optimism.

Lucas doesn't notice anyone passing him or walking into his father's room. Part of him wants to go into the room but the larger part of him needs this time alone. He needs to process it. He needs to _understand_ how the cancer has spread.

Crippling from this development, Lucas sinks nearly into the tile. Once tears threaten his eyes he pulls his phone out to call Connor with an update on Lester. He answers on a delay, but it is simply because he's been nodding off; "Yello?"

"I have bad news, buddy." Lucas begins.

xxxXXXxxx

Maya wakes up with a jar when the lights of the room are flicking on without any explanation. Connor is standing in the corner with his hands in his pockets, nervously pacing; "Good morning, Maya!" the nurse nearly shouts. It's nearly noon, but she doesn't plan on arguing semantics on this matter.

She sits up with ease, but she is sleepy; "Good morning," she mumbles. Everyone gets to work immediately. During their set up for the operation they explain what she can expect before, during, and after. They even ask if she would like to watch her son's birth on screen. Maya's eyes shift with hope to Connor; "Is Lucas coming?"

A deep breath tells her that there's something she doesn't know, a call in the night that has changed the plans; "I don't know," he sputters while shaking his head. Everyone in the room stops, all eyes turning to Connor. Now that he's on the spot he knows he has to explain; "Lester's cancer spread to his brain."

He stutters non-words while walking up to her bed, "I haven't heard from Lucas for a few hours now. Lester delegated that he wants comfort care only."

Hands reach out to Maya to comfort her, to calm her, and maybe to keep her in her place but she's been preparing for this news for months. Lucas always said that thinking and planning for the worst only guarantees it. Nature versus nurture, she decides; this is why she always kept one foot on the outside of this entire situation. Things could get better, but she knew in her heart that they could always get worse too.

"I'm so sorry," the nurse begins, "Is there anything we can do to help?"

Maya takes several deep breaths, like Connor, as she decides how she needs to proceed. Emotions cannot cloud her judgments now. Life is going to move on past this point, and the way this experience gets remembered is completely in her control. As Lucas heals, as Connor heals, as she heals, and as Puf grows – it is going to be vital that this birth is a positive memory.

"Can I be moved to Lester's hospital?" Instantly everyone shakes their heads. Nobody wants to delay the cesarean any longer. The transfer would be easy, but the availability would be changing. So she points at Connor, "We need to video chat this birth then, that's the only way we can include Lucas."

Connor agrees silently. Maya never thought he would actually decline. Even though it has never come up in conversation, she recalls with clarity the waitress that said Connor clearly had a romantic inclination towards her. Even though there was never a plan for her to use this information, or even acknowledge it with him, when she conceived the idea it was only a viable option because she knows this to be possible.

But a part of her had to believe it to be true, too.

There's a brief conversation about the best way to do this, and so the doctor orders for an administrator's laptop to be present in the operation room – coordinated with Saints so that Lucas and Lester are able to watch from their location. Nobody argues, nobody complains, and Lucas accepts these terms because they are the only ones available.

Once the arrangements are confirmed, the staff leaves to finish their preparations. Connor sits next to Maya with tears threatening to escape from his eyes, biological and emotional defiance at the ready. The room has beeps, buzzes, and hissing from the equipment surrounding the two of them. This is as unromantic a setting as any, so Maya decides to confront Connor before going into the delivery room.

"The long game is just another form of wishful thinking, Connor." Maya remarks, using the exact words of the waitress. They are her words, too. When she accepted that Joshua Matthews was never hers to love, well, she was at peace with the fact that there is no real version of the long game where everyone wins. The only way to play the game is by not playing it at all.

Connor's eyes bulge but his breathing doesn't hitch. After a second he lets out a chuckle that sounds amused; "I do love you but I knew there was nothing here for me. I love you because you're great, because you're my family, because you're exactly the kind of girl everyone _should_ love."

Maya smiles, "Well thank you."

"My other friends tried telling me to steal you away when you broke it off with Lucas. They don't seem to realize that I have a pretty low-key relationship with the receptionist in my building." Connor laughs it off carefully, "We've been on a few dates but there is a very strict dating policy at the office, in which you cannot date anyone on the payroll - _at all_."

Of course he is, Maya thinks, of course he is dating someone else.

She completely misread his expression at the restaurant that day.

"Nora, my girlfriend, is trying to move into a management position. An opening at an accounting firm popped up and she interviewed yesterday." He goes on to say that she was expecting a call back today. The company is rushing to fill the position before the current manager moves to Canada in one week. He is hopeful and that makes Maya happy.

He finishes what he's saying with a concrete statement, "There was never a long game." Feeling obligated to explain, she does. Connor spends much of the story trying not to burst into laughter. He jokes that she should have known better, and she jokes that he's stupid if he never considered it from another perspective. In the end, they know that it really never mattered.

In the minutes that tick away until they come to cart Maya off to the operation room, Connor fills Maya in on his girlfriend. Nora was born in Texas but moved to South America for three years after graduating. The only reason she came home is because her parents were divorcing and she wanted to make sure her mom was okay. The divorce was sort of messy, considering they had two houses and various sizable investments.

When Nora came back, she had to work several odd jobs and eventually went to the same college that Lucas was attending for an associates in Office Administration. She found out about the reception position while filling out paperwork for cost of living withdrawals on her loans; "I was there that day to give the listing to their career placement representative. She overheard me and drove immediately the office. The position was hers before I returned for my afternoon appointments."

He describes Nora as ambitious and discreet. She has to be to work at a mental healthcare center, but she is just naturally this way. Connor seems very excited talking about her. Years ago the love of his life was killed in Chicago. It was everyone's belief that Connor would stop looking for someone else. Emmaline was a huge part of his life.

Hopefully, Nora will fill in the cracks left behind on him. Maya cannot think of anyone more deserving of such love and bliss; "We'll have to go on a double date after all this hospital business comes to an end." She is careful with her words, sure not to imply that anything good or bad will happen. It will simply happen however it does and it will eventually come to an end. Ambiguous, in this scenario, is best.

xxxXXXxxx

They start streaming Maya's birth while she's getting the epidural. He should be thrilled but Lucas doesn't feel a fluttering in his chest or a churning in his stomach. Beside him, his father is sitting up and eating ice cream. He rolls his eyes; "You couldn't eat something more substantial?"

"Nope." He grumbles.

"And you couldn't pretend to care just a little bit?" His tone is reflective of his bitterness since Lester's decision for comfort care only. When someone chooses this type of medical treatment, basically they're saying that they'll die when it's time to die. Comfort care is just enough to keep him out of pain, as one might guess.

When Lucas first asked about this choice, he had not known the full extent of the conversation Lester had with his doctors. Supposedly, while Lucas was in the hallway they explained more clearly what was happening with his body. Firstly, he developed the pulmonary edema, the fluid in his lungs, due to the tumors in his brain. Secondly, they wanted to biopsy his brain to determine conclusively that the large mass in his brain is malignant. So thirdly, the biopsy would come with a whole mess of possible terrors. Les decided that there was nothing more that needed to be done. His medical staff did not argue with him, apparently. It is this part that still causes him much distress.

"I am sorry that this how we have to spend my last few days, Lucas. I wish you understood that if we did any more treatments I would be in worse shape than I already am." Lecturing him even on his deathbed? Lucas shakes his head and crosses his arms in rebellion. If he creates a blockade then perhaps his dad will change his mind; maybe he'll want to live long enough to see Puf walking and talking. Maybe it is wishful thinking, but he _has_ to hope for _something_.

On the screen Connor is standing next to Maya, pointing over the curtain, assuring her that the laptop is set up. Not long ago he may have harbored concerns that Connor was after Maya's heart in the fallout, but Connor is honorable. Lucas shames himself for being worried about such a thing at all in the first place. There are people in the world whom would give anything for a friend as loyal and kind as him. And Lucas has _two_ – Connor _and_ Zay. Not a person in the world is luckier than Lucas Friar.

And yet, nobody is as _unlucky_ as Lucas Friar.

"What was the name you decided on?" His attention redirecting, Lucas steps closer to the laptop to see more clearly. As he does this he raises his voice to share the name of his son, who will enter the world within minutes. Something happens that he doesn't see, something he doesn't even hear. Without warning his father falls completely silent. Lucas hears a rattling of the spoon on the table, but he thinks it is only Les setting down the silverware.

When he hears the beeping he realizes that something more is happening. Just as he spins there's medical staff swarming through the door. How could his father be fine one moment and then falling apart the next? In a rush to get his father stable again, Lucas is rushed from the room. Tears stream down his face.

He doesn't know whether to call out for his father or to call out for his wife.

* * *

A/N: I have about 75% of the next chapter written but I'm not sure how I feel about it because there are so many side characters that I'm trying to bring in, and I as I write a short scene with Lucas and his mother I'm just - nope. I lost a lot of steam when I took a three day break (due to social obligations and family emergencies). As such - I don't plan to remove the hiatus status. Even though I've posted several chapters since readjusting the summary and title, I know that it's still going to be a struggle balancing time to get this story completely done. I'm hoping that I'll have this finished within 4 more chapters, but I'd be willing to go all the way out to 20 chapters to ensure that as many loose ends are tied up as possible.

I did a sequel for this because there was a high demand for it, and many Tumblr users had contacted me directly about it. So I thought I'd challenge myself and roll with it - since 'And Then There Was Us' is my most reviewed story, and my third highest traffic piece. I don't know whether it is a success because the traction for this has been much slower and the readers less vocal about the content. Time will tell, won't it?

Thanks for being here - thanks for reading - thanks for simply being. You're great.

XOXO -ab


	14. A Girl's Plans

_Cardiac Arrest_

 _Blood clot_

 _Pulmonary Edema advancing_

 _Leukemia_

 _Cancer spreading_

 _Comfort Care Only._

 _Comfort Care Only._

 _Comfort Care Only._

 _Comfort Care Only._

 _Comfort Care Only._

 _Comfort Care Only._

 _"There's nothing else we can do."_

 _"Call it."_

* * *

 _"Lester Friar…"_

 _"Deceased…"_

 _"10:13 A.M."_

* * *

Lucas only hears all of this because of how loud everyone inside the room is being. Helplessly sitting outside the room he begins punching the floor where he sits. There's no telling how much time passes when the door finally opens. Multiple medical staff members swarm him, hands all out to him in preparation for his possible meltdown. The doctor's words are just mumbles of condolences and apologies for the way in which Lester Friar passed today.

"Our policy is to have him moved to the morgue approximately five hours after death, but if you require more time then we will accommodate you as needed. Do you know of any attorney handled his estate affairs that we can contact for you?" The doctor asks questions Lucas never had the answers to, and likely never was supposed to know. Les told Maya about his diagnosis before him; which means she probably knows all of his affairs must better.

Lucas pulls his knees close to his chest; "My wife knows all of that information."

The doctor opens his mouth to ask if she needs contacted but a nurse swats at him, then whispers that she's in the OR giving birth. Everything about Lucas' current circumstances leaves the doctor speechless. Silently everyone scatters to fill out the forms and paperwork they must legally prepare for Lester in his passing. Both glad and burdened by the time alone, Lucas lays himself on the floor and starts yelling into the air – crying right along with it.

* * *

Connor hears commotion on the other end of the laptop and then a discreet shutting of the equipment. Knowing that no good news could be happening at the other hospital, he does everything he can to keep a smile for Maya. The doctor has med student narrating to Maya and Connor each of the steps while Peyton Uriah Friar enters the world.

The cesarean goes quickly and easily. Once they begin suturing Maya back together, they ask Connor if he wants to hold Baby Friar first. He looks to Maya and declines fervently, even when she tells him that it's perfectly fine; "I'm not the first person holding my baby anyway."

Peyton is being cleaned a few feet away and everyone is already complimenting Maya on her beautiful baby boy. Everything becomes more casual. Jokes are being made between Maya and the nurses helping with the operation. Bliss and joy fill every crevice and crack in the room. Smiles are everywhere in celebration of this success.

But there are at least three cautious expressions.

"Sir?" One of the assisting doctor's whispers in Connor's ear; "May I speak with you for just one moment?" Maya doesn't see him drift away. Connor steps away. She doesn't notice, it seems, as he turns his body more towards the doctor. He is fearful of what he is about to hear.

"We had to close the computer." The doctor begins.

Connor listens even if he has no real interest in the truth.

Initially they tried not to worry about the commotion but when the staff heard comfort care only being repeated, they worried that Lester was going to pass on the other end. By the time someone had clean hands to shut the laptop the treating doctor told the staff to call Lester Friar's death. They tried to move quickly and quietly so that Maya was unaware of the happenings.

Appreciation and depression fill his veins, though his expression is professional as ever. This is his field, this is his are of expertise. The staff took the best action to protect their patient; "Thank you," he remarks.

The doctor has one more thing to say, "Please wait until we have her in the maternity ward to share this news with her." For obvious reasons, Connor knows. If she were to panic on the operating table, it could be just as tragic as Lester. Lucas cannot afford to lose two people he loves in one day.

When he returns to Maya's side he looks at her with the kindest eyes and the warmest of affection. The strength she has to make it through these hard times is evident. For months she's faced every struggle with a grin or confidence. She's stepped up for Lester in a big way.

She did it because she loves him, but also because she loves Lucas.

Maya will understand the role she has to play, and she will do it with honor. Connor reaches out to her face and strokes her cheek; "Was Lucas able to see him?"

* * *

Across the room is Puf with his blonde hair and generic hospital sleeper. It has been three hours and he's not woken once. The nurses all chatter about how calm of a baby he is and how he'll probably be an easy one to tend. Maya accepts the words as reminders that there are good times ahead, things to look forward to, and plenty of years to enjoy with Peyton Uriah Friar.

For now, though, she knows there is nothing shy of hell to suffer. Connor left the hospital to get her personal belongings from the ranch while Lucas is making arrangements with a funeral home to hold Lester until she leaves the hospital. Riley called the hospital to say she's on her way but Maya had an aide take a message. For now she needs these quiet hours with her son, with her own mind.

 _"When I pass, you'll need to sell everything. It is the only way you'll be able to sustain yourselves after the baby."_ Lester was so sure that closing the ranch down would be the best action for Lucas and Connor. Each boy already has a career path, and there's nobody left to care of it that is well enough health. Friar Family relatives in Texas went off in a variety of directions, with only Lester caring enough to keep the ranch going.

Maya told Lester's attorney that when Lester passes she'll do what makes sense, and if closing the ranch ended up being the best plan then she would absolutely do it. Something in her gut says that there's another way. There's something else that can be done, she's sure of it.

Eventually Riley prances through the door of the hospital with her dopey smile, hair thrown up in a bun with some flower clip to add flare. Her outfit is as Riley Matthews as anything, something that never changed about her quirky personality. A bright yellow skirt with a green and orange polka dotted blouse; it really reminds Maya just how much sunshine pours from her long-time best friend.

"Peaches!" Maya can count every single tooth in her mouth.

"Honey." She speaks flatly, knowing that before she can really celebrate she must share the news of Lester's passing; "Come sit for a minute, would ya?"

After Riley peaks at the baby she scoots her white sneaks all the way to the bed, making squeaks that echo through the entire hospital. Maya takes her hand quickly and steadies her chest. An instant before she speaks Riley must see that Lucas is nowhere in sight, in fact – that nobody is in the room except Maya and the baby; "Peaches?"

There were some complications. He was at a different hospital. Lucas stayed with his dad, which she said he should do anyway. Connor left to get her things. Lucas' mom is helping him make arrangements at the funeral home. The rest of the family is waiting at a distance, unsure what to do considering the simultaneous death and birth in the Friar Family. Maya very nearly begins to cry, but she has more to say; "I'm going to need you to help me figure out the ranch. I don't want to sell it but my idea is a long shot."

"Anything." She promises, "Anything for you, Maya, you _know_ that."

When Puf starts fussing, Riley moves naturally around the room to pick him up and bring him to Maya. She explains that her boss lets his daughter visit with her baby all the time. As such, at least once a week she's a glorified nanny; "I don't mind it. Babies are just too cute!" Her finger touches down on Puf's nose and he starts wiggling in her arms. As soon as Riley passes him along, she whirls around to the counter and searches for a pen and paper; "So what's this crazy idea for the ranch?"

* * *

Lucas listens to his mother offer to move back to Texas, though she would prefer is Lucas and Maya moved back to New York. She swears that Maya would feel safer there, that she would be more comfortable being somewhere that she knows better. No such thing will ever happen. Without speaking they would agree not to leave Texas. This is their home now.

"Stop talking." He commands; "I don't need your advice. I just wanted you to drive me back home for a change of clothes."

"Speak to me that way again and you'll walk." One thing that Lucas credited his turn around to when he moved to New York was his mother's strict rules. It was one of the reasons she liked Riley, too, because she didn't step a toe out of the rules. Not in any significant way, at least. Maya was very much the opposite.

She knew the limits, though, and never pushed the boundaries when it would compromise anything significant. Maya Hart has always been innovative.

"Fine." He decides, and begins opening the card door at the next stoplight. When he hops out on the sidewalk he turns immediately down the next lane. His mother won't be able to go this way because the road is one direction. Who needs a change clothes, he decides, and makes his way to the hospital. He should be there in about ten minutes, which is sooner than his mother will realize where it is he's going and arrive there.

Under any other circumstance he really would not be so harsh with his mother. Even though the relationship he has with her is not strong, especially after choosing Texas after high school, he cares for her very much. All the anger welling in his gut just went in her direction. What right does she have continuing on as normal? Why does she think it is okay to start campaigning for a big move so soon after Lester's death? It is insensitive, in his opinion, and Lucas is not going to apologize for being upset and abandoning her in traffic.

He flips his phone out and dials the number to the hospital. Getting put through to Maya's room is easy. He hasn't been able to properly speak with her. As of right now, mostly it is disjointed texts and short calls to get names of contacts for Lester's estate.

When she answers she is in the middle of a sentence; "Who is there?"

"Riley." She doesn't miss a beat when informing him. Already he knows calling her isn't turning into a big conversation. He will be there soon, so he'll just plan on talking to her then so he can gauge just how much attention she's paying to him. So in reply he huffs.

"Where are you? It is really loud wherever you're at…" She trails off, clearly distracted by something. Lucas hears cooing from her end and he assumes that she's feeding little Puf. Part of him wants to ask what she's decided to do – breastfeed or bottle feed. It was something that came up occasionally, but she was still unsure just last week because she didn't know how easily she would be able to maintain an appropriate regimen; _"I don't know what I'd do if I forgot to pump and left Puf with someone with no milk and no formula…"_ She seemed particularly hesitant then.

That's not something to ask over the phone, though, so he simply replies; "I am walking to the hospital. Mom was irritating me so I got out of the car."

Maya sighs; "She means well, Lucas."

Oh, Lucas is sure she means _well_ – but not for him. She was a great mother, but she has been harboring some anger towards him for not choosing _her_ life in New York. He thinks she will never forgive him for wanting to return somewhere that so quickly shunned him as a child; "Whatever she means doesn't matter. I told her I didn't want to hear any of her 'come to New York' bullshit."

Maya is silent.

She seems to have a change of heart; "Well, in that case, can you get me a malasada from the corner shop. I want raspberry filling."

Riley can be heard chiming in an order too; "I wouldn't mind a burrito!"

Lucas shakes his head but knows he'll make the stop because he cares about both ladies. He isn't sure that the corner shop will have burritos but he will pass a food cart of two that does, so he'll just make sure to get hers first.

* * *

"Do you think that he'll go for it?" Maya questions, especially nervous about the fact that Lucas will be walking through the door any moment. Riley pretends to consider the proposition very deeply but then smiles with a bounce.

"I think he'll love it. It gives him a chance to do something he loves, and it gives you the opportunity to work from home. You can use the profits from selling off the livestock to restructure the family business entirely." Just as Riley finishes her sentence, Lucas tip-toes through the door with three foam containers. Flourishing her dramatic sort of way that reminds Maya so much of their days in junior high, a tear threatens to sting exactly one of her eyes.

Lucas smiles, though the bags under his eyes make his sorrow evident. He whispers, "I didn't mean for it to take so long. There was a line everywhere that I went."

Maya doesn't get out of bed, and she's not supposed to anyway, but she sits up higher with baby Puf resting in one arm. Lucas hands off the food to Riley and rushes to wrap his arms around his wife. The three Friars remain in an embrace for a long time, to the point that Riley has to cough to break the awkward tension.

"Sorry Charlie!" Maya rolls her eyes, already feeling comfortable and casual in light of all the changes that had taken a place – and the many more to come.

"My name is Riley – don't wear it out!" She laughs, already digging into her burrito.

* * *

A/N: Updates will come when they come - I'm a trash panda. I'm sorry.

Also, you might notice in the coming chapters - my technical writing will be different. I'm using a publishing standard technical writing style. The most important thing in writing is consistency, but I got into a lot of bad habits while writing fanfiction without that standard. So you *will* see that change but the narrative itself shouldn't change when I do make updates.

Thanks for those of you who have been sticking around, you know, because that's so special and kind of you.


	15. Boy and His Future

Maya knows that there's no true cushion for grief, but graduating college and having a child and getting a new job are certainly great things to distract from the significant loss in Lucas' life. On a bad day, Lucas might go stand at his father's bedroom door and cry a couple of times. She encourages him to take private time to grieve but usually those moments come and pass quickly because Puf is far too much fun to ignore.

Baby Puf giggles at everything, coos nonstop, and enjoys touching faces quite a lot. Half-kissing and half-sucking on Puf's fingers is fun in a weird parent way. Maya never would have thought being a mom would be so fun in a boring, plain, predictable sort of way. Still, she can't believe now that she ever had doubts.

"Could you help Connor pack his apartment tomorrow? He is so busy these days that I'm not sure he's actually getting anything done on his own," Maya calls out as she fills a bottle with Puf coddled against her chest with her left arm. Lucas is stomping around the house and shows up in the kitchen shortly after she calls after him.

"No," he scolds, "I know you have some guys coming out to check out the horses. I'm not letting you sell them on your own."

Rolling her eyes, Maya turns to meet his gaze. Lucas marches right up to her and takes Puf from her arms. The relief comes but she must begin cleaning dishes while she has a free moment. Lucas continues his protest, "You don't know a fair price and you can't sell an animal you don't know a damn thing about. It's just not happening."

"That's fine," Maya agrees, "but you're not welcome if you're not going to be supportive and flexible. You're going to think they're worth more than they are to some degree. If you are going to let me keep working with Lester's lawyer to restructure, I need you to be _cooperative_."

Discussing the changes Maya's putting in place has been nearly impossible. Riley has been extremely helpful, but when she went home last week, even mentioning the changes has garnered a worse reaction from Lucas than before when Riley could casually bring it up herself. It was more like she brought it up rather than Maya actively conversing about it on her own.

He asked for the nature of the business and she just keeps assuring him that he will still have a job on the ranch when all is said and done. What he doesn't realize is that she's planning to open two new businesses on the Friar property. Even though it's not a ranch, Maya and Riley both agreed that family businesses have to change and renew themselves in order to stay relevant.

So what better way to do that than use the strengths that they each already have? Maya is great with people, caring for them and making sure they're healthy and safe. Lucas is good at taking care of animals and knowing what to do with them in a pinch.

"Have you thought anymore about going back to school to get your veterinarian license? I know that's a four year commitment, but I think you're more of the sort to be in charge, aren't you?" Maya didn't intend to bring it up simply to irritate him. There's a university that might be able to get him finished in just about three years, depending on class availability.

Even if she cannot see his face, he wrinkles his nose. That's what he does when he doesn't want to admit he's been ignoring a question or topic. Sometimes Maya cooks something that she doesn't think he'll be excited for, and when she texts him about it – he blatantly avoids the topic.

Lucas leaves the room, Puf in tow, and Maya can only sigh. She feels her body shrink in disappointment. Perhaps he'll be more willing to listen to her if she discusses her plans after they sell the horses.

* * *

Lucas takes charge when the buyer arrives with a broker. They go around back and plunge deep into the details. Maya follows, with Puf in the papoose. She listens, and she takes notes occasionally, trying to figure how much this helps with the amount of loans she'll need to take once she starts the hard work.

Restructuring a business is all unfamiliar territory but the Friar family's attorney seems to have a good idea of what she wants and how to get it done. She has some time before she has to work her way through the trenches, so to speak, because after the horses it'll be the cows, pigs, chickens, and so on. Even part of the land is going to be sold. She was hoping that if she can manage a decent enough clearance – well – that would have to be a bonus surprise.

It doesn't take long for everyone to actually agree on the price. When they go inside to draw up the final sale documents, Maya takes her notes upstairs where she places a sleeping Puf into his crib, and then takes a few minutes to do her calculations. They got easily 150,000 more from the horses than was initially estimated, which lowers the pressures of what the other livestock will need to bring in for a profit. Again, relief finds her, but she doesn't let it take hold for long. She turns on the baby monitor and clips her end to side of her hip before racing downstairs to join the group of men.

At the end of the day, Maya is the one who has to sign all of the documents. That can sometimes be tedious but working at the hospital she had to sign off on so many things. This is hardly any different but it carries a different weight to it.

"Thanks for your help," Maya declares to nobody in particular when she begins putting her signature at each of the tabbed pages. She is grateful for Lucas being so levelheaded about the process; she's grateful for the broker who agreed to come even though he wasn't required; and she's thankful for the buyer who would rather see the horses used the right way. Lester would've been happy to see such an amicable deal made between respectable gentlemen.

Car engines can be heard starting as they hurry away from the Friar Ranch. Maya turns away from the door to close it and finds herself face-to-face with Lucas. Normally these moments were ones where he would have tears streaming down his face at the realization that his father is really gone. He's the man of the house – he's the one who has to fix things on his own – he's the one who has to take care over everyone. Nobody can ever truly be ready to lose a parent, and yet Lucas seemed less prepared than anyone else. It was no surprise, and yet he was so young that he still believed he would overcome.

Maya hates those times when he wears the face of a broken man.

This time is different, though, because his features are soft and he looks comfortable. A smirk twitches over his lips between seconds and his eyes seem genuinely at peace. Today his gaze isn't distant, searching for the ghost of a man he wants to be standing with him, but rather it is trained on Maya. The smile that can't quite make it to his face is settled in his eyes. Without even thinking she rolls onto her toes, arms and hands coming up to wrap around his neck. Effortlessly from there, her lips gravitate towards his. Loving exchanges such as this are rare anymore. Grieving has a way of changing the ways in which people express their love.

"You know that I trust you, Maya," Luca says, though she figures that he means to ask if she really understands how deep that faith runs. Of course, she is perfectly aware how much he has to believe she's doing the right thing. She is as fresh a member to the Friar lineage as Puf, and here she is ripping apart a legacy that spans decades in his family. Not once has he argued or harassed her since his father's passing. Sure he's not always cooperative, and he does occasionally make it difficult for her to do what she must to see this legacy into a new era, but Lucas doesn't stop her or deny her the task she's been handed.

She kisses him again in reply. When she breaks away from him, she places her forehead against his. "Thank you," she mutters. "Thank you."

* * *

Accepting the fate of Maya's promise to his father, Lucas consciously starts letting go of the idea he had for his future. Keeping the ranch alive exactly as it was his entire life simply wasn't going to be viable. If Maya insisted upon it, if his father insisted upon it, then he likely would have had to see these same adjustments being made no matter if his father lived or died. The only thing he can do is show his support tenfold. When Puf wakes up and Maya takes him outside for a swing, Lucas decides to call and make arrangements to sell the rest of the livestock.

The more calls he makes, the easier it seems to get, and by the time his calendar is filled with things he'll need to do on his days off, Lucas is sure that he can be the husband that Maya deserves. He forgets, sometimes, that she's lost a father too. Never having properly known her own dad, Lester Friar became the father she deserved. She was the daughter he wanted, Lucas thinks, but could never have.

Lucas joins her on the porch where she's humming and trying to enjoy a parfait around Puf's head bobbling against her chest. It's a funny sight to see and he actually laughs. There have been laughs since his father's death, of course, but never so freeing as he laughs now. Maya glances over at him mid-bite and scrunches her brows together. "Is this funny to you, Friar?"

"Which Friar?" he remarks, joining her on the swing.

"You, Friar, the original Friar!"

"I'm laughing at you, Friar, because you look like a dork," he jabs back playfully. It's been so long since they've been able to pick fun so freely and loosely. It reminds him of the old days – back when they were just two high school kids trying to accept their feelings. While those days were much easier and had less baggage that needed carrying, Lucas is sure he would trade his present for the past. "I love you, Maya, and I hope that I can be half the man that my father was for both of you."

She tries to lean her head over to him but the storage compartment and baby make it hard for her to actually do it. Accepting her limitations, her hand reaches over and rests on his forearm. Maya has touched him more times than could ever be counted, and yet this is the one that means the most to him. This is the touch that he'll remember for the rest of their lives. He knows it before she even opens her mouth.

"I'm opening a veterinary clinic on the back half of the property for farm animals. That's why I want you to go back to school. I want to open a clinic for you and a daycare center for me so that we both have somewhere that we can work close to home for Puf. I'll have to get some licenses to open up a daycare but I can start working as soon as my structure is built," Maya explains cheerily, her eyes as bright as they are when she is painting or singing. It reminds him of all the times she had big dreams about their life when they were living in the apartment. They would travel to here and there, and they would see this and that. Her dreams were big and they didn't stop for a single person in the world.

Lucas care barely believe this is the same Maya who nearly let the arts program drop from their school…

Lucas can barely believe this is the same Maya who had a homework rebellion because she didn't think she was smart enough…

Lucas can barely believe this is the same Maya who convinced herself that Riley deserved him more than she did…

But just the same, he's glad that this _is_ Maya Hart – the woman he fell in love with; the woman he married; the woman who had his son. Lucas Friar is luckier than he realizes sometimes but he won't let himself forget ever again. A proper grin parts his lips as he speaks, "I think that is amazing."

"So? Will you go back to college and get your veterinary license?" Maya asks, turning her head to rest on her shoulder. Lucas turns, mocks her position, and stares deep into her breathtaking blue eyes. Could there be anyone in the world more perfect for him than her?

He expects not.

* * *

 _A/N: I can't believe how close to tend I was when I last posted a chapter for this story. I think the next chapter is going to be the final one! I'm sorry that I fell so far off of the grid, honestly. When the show ended, I think my excitement for it kind of died too. Girl Meets World has so much potential and so much to explore and offer teenagers and young adults. I'm not an active member of this fandom anymore, so I think when I post the next chapter it'll be my last for GMW ever, honestly. I hope that you've enjoyed this ride with me._


	16. Always Going to Be Us

Time flies, Maya concludes, when she's standing on the porch of her small daycare center. Her first drop off for the day is a young lady named Chelsea, ironically enough a bombastic blonde girl with as much energy and aspiration as Maya at her age. She's ready for kindergarten, she swears it every single morning, but Peyton sometimes whispers in Maya's ear before he races of to the bus stop at the end of the driveway, _"She would be in time-out before she sat down, mama."_

Maya doesn't doubt it.

"Today is the last day of school!" Peyton shouts as he races from the playground to hug his mom once more before getting on the bus. Tears threaten her eyes. Baby Puf had grown so quickly into Peyton Uriah, the stern boy who always followed the rules but never ceased to find an unconventional way of getting things done. He was every bit the best parts of Lucas and Maya Friar that he could be – and better somehow, just the way kids are supposed to be.

Maya grins, thinking about how Peyton will be turning six soon. Has it really been six years? She doesn't feel as though it has but she cannot deny that there's been a passage of time. Howe else did her baby boy get so big? "Are you excited?"

"Oh yes, mama, very much!" he wails while running circles, right up until he notices the bus arrives. Chelsea is usually here by now and he knows it. He pauses and looks up to Maya with worry in his face. "Where is Chelsea, mama?"

Cautiously, she squats down to get level with her son. "She's probably running late. Sometimes there's morning traffic. You'll see her after school, okay?" Peyton nods his head, unsure if he should believe her, and then kisses her nose. He runs to the bus in a flurry and leaves just as quickly as Maya blinks.

Maya keeps checking the watch she's become accustomed to wearing. Ten and fifteen and twenty minutes pass, and still not Chelsea. Finally, Maya calls Lucas to come over while she goes inside to call Lenore, Chelsea's mother, about why they're running late. Lucas's business hours don't start for two more hours, and since she likes to greet the kids at the front door.

 _Ring._

 _Ring._

 _Ring._

"Hello, Lenore, this is Maya Hart from Hart's Happy Hangout. I was just calling because Chelsea isn't here yet and I wanted to make sure that you're doing okay," Maya speaks calmly, doing everything she can to not assume the worst. There's some rustling in the background before Lenore actually replies.

"I'm so sorry, I meant to call last night," she begins, "But I got a job offer out of town that starts on Monday. I've been packing all night and forgot to tell you that Chelsea won't be coming,"

Grateful as she is that Chelsea isn't in danger or hurt, and excited as she is for Lenore to have gotten a job that she seems really excited for, as a mother she cannot help but also feel hurt for her son. Chelsea and Peyton loved playing together after school and chasing each other on the playground. The promise that he'd see her after school now broken, she lets out a faked sigh of relief. "Congratulations, Lenore, I'm so happy for your guys! How far are you going?"

They chat for a few minutes. Apparently this job opportunity was a rare one, allowing her to follow her passion for interior design. Chelsea even hops on the line to tell Maya farewell before they finally end the call with a respectable tone. A glum feeling in her gut settles in for the day and she marches back out into the playroom where at least one or two others will have showed up. Lucas is at the door talking with one of the father's who has his special needs daughter in tow.

"When do you think he'll arrive?" Lucas asks the father in a formal tone. It only takes a second for it to become obvious that they're discussing their adoption. There's mention of a plane ride and some driving but Maya doesn't hear it. She reaches her hand out to the little girl, Kianna, and waits for her to decide to join. Kianna is from the Philippines and was diagnosed with moderate Autism shortly after the adoption was finalized.

Though she's become accustomed to the surroundings of the daycare, her hesitations aren't completely gone. Maya has a routine. The both of them walk a circle around the playroom and then walk to the art room where Kianna prefers to spend her time. An easel with her name across the top in glittery foam letters sits next to the window where she can see outside to the playground.

"Play," she says in a squeaky tone. "Play."

Maya shakes her head, "Not yet. We have to had snack first."

"Then play," she agrees, a smile spread across her face. Kianna grabs her stool from the closet and then sits down at the easel with her crayons in a perfect line across the bottom. Her tiny fingers wrap around her favorite color, a deep green, and she begins scribbling away on the pad of paper. Maya pats her head exactly three times before returning to the front of the house.

Lucas is waving in children who are being dropped off in the driveway by their parents, and Maya is ushering kids away from their cubbies so that they're not tempted to play and socialize where others are trying to unpack and get around for the day. As the last flow of children arrive, with an hour still to spare before Lucas has to start his business day, she leans into his side.

"Do you miss having them this small?" Maya asks, watching her thirteen kids bouncing around the daycare playroom and trickling into the art room freely. They may not be _her_ kids but she plays a vital role in their upbringing. This was never her plan growing up but now it feels so right that she can't imagine doing anything else.

Lucas shrugs, "Sometimes," he decides.

"Do you want another one," she asks just before her twins come over and tug her over the dress up bin. Easily her least favorite thing about kids at this age is that they won't look for anything too hard themselves. Lucas bends down to catch one of the smaller ones trying to sneak into the kitchen. There's a gate to stop them but if there's anything he's learned about children – its' that they're persistent.

"I like us," he shouts back to her, "As long as there's a you and there's a me…"

"Oh," Maya laughs, pulling out the prince and princess costumes the twins were looking for from behind the bin, "It's always going to be us, Mr. Friar."

* * *

A/N: And that's a wrap! I can't believe that it ended up taking me such a long time to write this. Around the time I started working on this - I accidentally deleted my Tumblr account and lost all of my readership from there. It's been hard to rebuild that following - and I still haven't regained all of those readers. I had a really hard time getting connected to my fanfiction again. My heart will always belong to fanfiction, and I'll always have a piece of love to share for the GMW fandom, but it's time to close this chapter and move forward. I hope this has been a good read for you - and I hope it lived up to your expectations (if you read the first one) as a sequel. I assure you, in spite of the length of time it took to finish, I had a great time putting this together.

* * *

What could have happened - Just like the first fic, there were a great many things I changed and dropped in the writing process. Here's a few of those things that I changed...

~ Zay was never intended to be in this story. When I began writing the outline for this and revealing that Connor had some feelings towards Maya, Lucas' jealous seemed very natural and important - especially considering the events that transpired at the beginning. When Lucas had to call someone that he trusted to intervene and care for Maya, it made more sense he would turn to Zay than Connor, who he was actually jealous of at the time.

~ Maya was going to date someone else while she was broken up with Lucas. I hadn't decided if it was going to be Connor or not, but there was an open opportunity for her to be casually seeing someone mid pregnancy or post birth. I ended up cutting that out because it felt as though it was going to drive a wedge between the master plan which was for Maya and Lucas to gravitate back to one another in a natural way.

~ They were never going to get married. In my outline I wanted Maya to be adamantly against getting married because she was worried about things going south again. I also had it written in that Maya wouldn't give her child the Friar last name. And that was because...

~ Originally, Maya and Lucas weren't going to get back together until well after their child had been born. Maya was going to be raising her child as a single parent with no help from Lucas for nearly a year before they would make amends and give their romance another shot. Again, as the story went on, it seemed unnatural for it to take that long - and as in love as they are, it would make more sense that the closer they got to Maya's due date the more likely they were to get close again.

And finally,

~ Riley was going to move to Texas and announce her engagement and pregnancy with Derek. I ended up cutting much of Riley's time in 'And Then There Was Us,' and it just panned out that way in this story too. With Riley living and working in California, it was just unreasonable for Maya to get support from her from so far away. I tried to show that they're close, and they'll always have a sisterhood, but as I came to the end and started writing Lester's death and Maya's plans to honor his request for the ranch... Squeezing Riley in just felt as if it were dragging out the plot of the story. And my ultimate plan was to get us to the end and work in that very important line - "It's always going to be us" - the title line of the story. At the end of the day this was supposed to be about Lucas and Maya becoming the adults that they'll be for the rest of their lives - together.

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Please drop a review if you like what I did here, or even if you wish I'd done something else. Let me know if any of the stuff I cut sounds like something you would have enjoyed reading. We write and read fanfiction because - sometimes - we just think the author got it wrong. It doesn't make us love the product any less, it just means we see things in a new perspective. Your perspective matters.

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 **Thanks for reading, and until the next time**

 **Adieu.**


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